Dreams of an Absent Mind
by Jaidyn Reiman
Summary: A girl named Shannon McKenzie awakens in a hospital bed with absolutely no memory. Soon, though, the pieces come together when Rouge helps to solve the mystery of that accident five months ago and discover the whereabouts of Shadow the Hedgehog, whom has been missing the whole time. Read & Review. Now complete.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note(s)**: Whew, SSA is almost up and I still haven't finished this. Whatever the case, I have now re-written this chapter almost completely. You will notice a couple similarities, but for the most part, it's all new and sheds some added light on to the plot. This fic has been submitted to BOTH the Cyberdyne Cortex Awards and the Sonic Site Awards.

* * *

**Dreams of an Absent Mind**

_**Prologue**_

_I struggled in the dark, seeing nothing. Blackness all around. Images appear and vanish. Darkness all around, yet the images return. Blonde female, blue eyes, blue garment. Death, despair. Gunfire. Lost, all alone. Chaos and destruction. Justice; Revenge._

_Stop! This is not for you. Go back to where you were. Leave this being, filth!_

_Memories, all gone. Fallen, lost in the depths. Friends come to your rescue, saving you from your trial. They comfort you, stopping the manipulations of the world. The darkest doom of the blackest night. Space and time; resurrection. Gods of the past; rifts in time. Gems of miracles, creating light. Light destroys darkness, giving hope._

_Master of machines conquers all. Reeking havoc; plundering the world. Blurs of blue and yellow and red and pink and black. Stopping the master, they save all. The master has another plan, though. He sets up the plot, meddling with his scientific mind. What is he hiding? What does he know?_

_Explosions rock the ground. Flames lick up, threatening to consume me. I back away, but the fires spread. Back, back, back… the master has come. He is here! An edge. Falling, falling, falling… the ground rises. Stones stab upward, ready to impale me. The flames come from above. The evil above reaches… I scream out. Slay this madness!_

_The sky rises. My mind travels, turning, fearing. Wind rushes up to meet me. Eyes sealed, fear etched deep within. My legs crash down, crumbling. My body slams down. Everything turns black. I feel nothing._

_**XXXXX**  
_

The forests bloomed with a light gaze, shining beneath the sun. Water rushed down the streams, letting go of the cold freeze that had beset them for five long months. The wildlife came out of their nests and slumber, ready to partake of the coming warmth. Peace rained down upon the calm jungle. A cat readied his pole, casting out into the pond to enjoy a fresh meal.

The peacefulness died out. Three high-powered motorbikes raced through. They moved on a ways, then slowed to a stop. The leader glanced around. "Is this the area?" he asked.

The second one shrugged his shoulders. "It looks like it," he stated. "If he fell from that cliff, then he should be somewhere around here."

The leader turned to the third, then back to the second again, nodding his head. "Spread out. Search the area for any signs and report back."

The second and third riders saluted. "Yes, sir!" they stated.

The leader drove straight forward, while the other two split off in separate directions. He raced on ahead a few hundred feet and watched as the grass diminished, becoming hard rock. Up ahead, he looked up at the cliffside that jutted out. This entire area was basically a large hole in the ground. It's as if a landmass once was here, but was dug out of the ground.

These cliffs were steep and dangerous. Moving at high speeds, one might not notice the cliffside in time before realizing to stop, slipping, and falling over the edge. If he was here, and was in trouble, he could've done just that, the man noted to himself.

The officer got off his bike and stepped forward. A little ways ahead, rock formations jutted out of the ground. That made this particular cliffside all the more dangerous. Still, he had to check. He had to make sure that the agent was either dead or alive, even if they never actually found him.

Fear entered into his heart. A strange feeling. Something felt awkward, unwavering. What could possibly be over here? He approached the rock formation. It just didn't feel right. Something was wrong. Deathly wrong, and yet… he couldn't place his finger on it.

He glanced up, seeing a pointed formation jutting out a good three feet taller than himself. Light reflected off of a golden object. A voice called out, but he paid no attention. He wrapped his arm around the formation, reaching up with his left hand as high as he could. Placing his foot a little higher onto it, he grasped his hand onto the object and pulled it down. He examined it closer and suddenly gasped out.

"Greg, Stanley, come quick!" a voice called out.

Stanley raised an eyebrow. If he had found this here, than what could Lewis have found…?

The man quickly darted off as fast as his legs could carry him, leaving the bike behind. He ran north along the edge of the rock formation. Lewis called out again, a little further from the cliff. Stanley turned and saw him next to a soft patch of grass. He raced up and Greg arrived on his bike. Lewis stared down, not taking his eyes off. Stanley began to open his mouth, but never finished his statement.

A young girl, about the age of fifteen he estimated, lay there. She had long black hair and red eyes. Blood seeped the ground. He eyes were shut tight. She looked almost dead, but… no, she wasn't dead, her chest heaved in and out. She was alive, but badly wounded. Lewis's jacket was draped over her…

"I found her like this," Lewis stated. "Both her legs are broken and she's got a severe wound in the back of her head, but she's alive." He took a deep breath, the at last continued. "What's worse, though, is that she was completely bare."

Stanley raised an eyebrow. "Get her on the bike, now. We have to get her back to the city. Our mission can wait."

Greg looked up. "Sir?"

Stanley stared back. "Do it," he demanded.

Greg nodded, saluting.. "Yes sir!"

Lewis and Greg got the girl onto Greg's bike and road off. Stanley made his way back to his own bike, mumbling over the situation. It was far too suspicious, but he couldn't make out any of it. He pulled the object out of his hand and lifted it up, staring at it in wonder. It was a golden ring. Now how would he explain this to the Commander?!

_**XXXXX**_

_That noise was irritating. A repetitive beeping, coming out every second. It refused to stop. Nothing seemed to make it go away. Head hurts, writhing in pain… that beeping certainly isn't helping any! Just go away, shut up. Make it stop, make it stop!_

_It didn't stop. The insistent beeping continued. Every few seconds, it came. A pause, then… BEEP. Another pause, and… BEEP. Constantly, over and over. BEEP, pause, BEEP, pause, BEEP._

_I could not help myself. The noise was driving me insane. Out of all things, anything, why this?! It was just a repetitive, insistent annoyance that continued relentless, over and over, refusing to give way. Why wouldn't it just end?!_

The girl's eyes opened wide. She sat up in the bed, rubbing at her head. _'Ugh, where am I…?'_ she asked herself.

A white room. It was clothed with a light texture. A shining brightness glimmered from her left. Turning, she saw an open shade. It glazed into the room, witnessing unto her. She blinked. It was blinding. Eyes consumed by darkness, she struggled to see with the sudden light that had shown. She lifted up her hand, blocking the light from entering, allowing them to adjust as she stared in wonder.

Something instantly startled her. BEEP, a noise called out. She spun around, noticing a strange machine nearby. Right next to the from of the bed, next to where her upper torso lay, was a small table. Next to the foot of the bed, a chair sat. She began to move, but the sheets moved along with her. She pushed them off and continued forward, but she then felt something tugging at her shoulder.

Looking closer, she gasped out. Cords and wires of all sorts were attached to her body. Tracing them, she found out that they were all attached to the machine. Whatever this machine was, obviously, it was monitoring her. BEEP, it called out. She raised an eyebrow. This thing felt familiar. She… remembered it from somewhere, but where? What role did it play?

Afraid, she tugged at the cords, ripping them off. The nodules fell to the ground. The machine went haywire. She stared at it in disbelief. It was now obvious that it was monitoring her, but WHAT exactly was it monitoring?

She moved to sit up, but something surprised her. The door slammed open and a man rushed in. He looked up at the girl, then at the machine. He gave off a sigh of relief. He turned to the machine and did something. Immediately, the beeping stopped.

The man glanced down at her. He was tall with short blonde hair and brown eyes. He wore white clothing across his body. A name tag was clipped to his left pocket. The tag read 'Daniel.' She watched him, curiously, but did not say a word.

Daniel approached. "H… hello," he stated, hesitating.

The girl watched him, curiously. "Hello," she stated in reply.

The man chuckled a bit. "Heh, my name is Daniel Nickelson, your doctor at the Station Square Memorial Hospital."

Surprise lit her face. She lowered her head a bit, biting her lip. "W-wait, did you say… hospital…?" she asked.

Daniel nodded. "Yes," he stated. "You were found lying in a jungle about fifty miles southwest of here in the jungle. You sustained a heavy blow to the head, cracking the skull but suffering only minor brain injuries. Your left tibia bone and also both fibula bones in your legs were also broken when you were first found."

The girl gasped out. She allowed it all to sink it, thinking over everything. What in the world had happened…? And why could she not remember any of it…?

The doctor lowered his head, sighing. "I'm afraid that's not all of it, though," he stated. "You were found unconscious…" he paused, hesitating. "You were found unconscious and did not wake up until now."

Her eyes lit up. Wait, so… she had been unconscious since then? When was then, anyway? "So," she began. "I… I was in a coma?" she asked. Not waiting for a reply, she continued. "H… how long was I out?"

Daniel nodded. "Five months," he stated, regretting. "We… we didn't think you'd come out alive. When you pulled off those nodules, I actually assumed that you died. I'm glad I was wrong."

She gasped out again. She had sustained all those injuries, fallen into a coma, and woke up five months later? What kind of accident was this, anyway?! "Do you… know what happened…" she asked.

The doctor shook his head. "Actually, no, we don't. However, from what we have heard, it is likely that you had fallen off a cliff." He stopped, glanced around, and then finally looked back at the girl again. She had backed up onto the bed and he realizing that everything was just beginning to sink it. "I know this may be hard for you, but could you do one thing for me?"

The girl nodded, showing no expression on her face. "…yes…" she stated, calmly, or at least, trying to be.

Daniel nodded. "Please, miss, can you tell me your name? That would do as a start."

She nodded in reply. "Yes, of course, its…"

…

She stopped.

What was her name, anyway? Of course she had a name, she knew that she did. However, for some odd reason, she could not recall what it was. She tried to think, tried to reason with the whole situation. Her name. What was her name? What was her father's name? Mother? Siblings? Address? Birthday?

Nothing came. Not a hint or sign. Everything was a twisted confusion. Nothing in her mind came together into a form of reasoning. She tried to think, she tried to remember, but she could not. Her head ached in pain. She steadied it with her hand, thinking harder… harder… harder…

Tears swelled up in her eyes. The doctor shook his head, solemnly. The girl did not notice. She sat there, thinking, musing, imagining… imagining what? Well, apparently nothing. She couldn't remember anything, not even her own name. The more she tried, the more afraid she became. Her eyes swelled up, liquid dripping down from them.

No! She refused to cry… she couldn't cry… she never let herself cry. Not her, she never did. She didn't remember why, but she did remember that much. It was because of something wrong, but because she had always told herself there was an alternative, some other way. Yet, though, she realized that she was.

She fell back upon the bed. Tears burst down. The doctor turned back to the door. "I… will leave you here…" he stated. He opened the door and closed it behind, but quickly took a quick peek back in, first. "If you need anything, I will send in a nurse to assist you." With that said, he left.


	2. Past Memory

**Dreams of an Absent Mind**

_**Part 1**_

_**Chapter 2: Past Memory**_

The fifteen year-old-girl curled herself up near the upper portion of the bed. Her head was placed down onto a light, fluffy feather pillow. She had unknowingly moved her legs up almost into a fetal position, the left leg lying directly before the right one. She began to think about everything that she had learned in the last few hours, though she should've known this already, anyway, but could not recall a thing.

Her doctor's name was Daniel Peter Nickelson. He had apparently been attending to her the entire time she was in her coma. A government search party out in a place known as the… er… Mystic Ruins, was it? Yeah, the Mystic Ruins. She had been found in the Mystic Ruins area where the government was searching for an agent that had apparently went M.I.A., whatever that meant.

While they didn't find the person they were looking for, they had found her at the bottom of a cliffside. She was then admitted to the hospital in Station Square, third floor, room 387. With no known identity, she simply became known as Jane Doe 387—after the room number she had been admitted to. Hey, that's an idea. Jane. Yeah, it ought to do for now. Well, at least until she could remember her real name…

Jane nodded to herself. It was a nice name for the moment. Anyway, that was how she had been found. Where was she, though? Well, apparently it was in a country known as the 'United Federation.' While technically a country, it's more of a loose government of city-states run by the president. The Central Plains was the 'region' where they were currently located, despite the fact that it was mostly forest.

Central City, the capital, is located a few miles north of the city of Station Square, while Westopolis is located further northwest of Central City. All three are part of the Central Plains region, which is one of the smallest. That is mainly because the capital was located here, though. The Babylon Desert region lies to the east, and numerous other regions also exist, but she wasn't told of those. Still, it was a good start.

Jane had hoped that learning of these things would help to refresh her memory a bit. Unfortunately, it didn't. Well, not fully, at least. Some things started to come back, but it's all still muddled together. Immediately upon hearing the term, though, she realized that apparently Central City was her home—or at least, it was her home. Instantly she remembered some of the areas around it, but only a small piece. At least it was something, though.

A door opened. She sat up instantly, looking upon the newcomer. It was a young nurse. She was about twenty-four years old, which was a rather young age for a nurse. She had dark skin, black hair, green eyes, and white clothing. Well, the clothing was no surprise. Jane herself was dressed in a white gown, the bedding was white, the walls and the floor… everything was white.

She paused in her thoughts for a moment. Suddenly, she just realized something. She had remembered. How did she know that twenty-four was a young age for nurses? Heck, how'd she guess twenty-four in the first place? Must be something that she used to do…

The nurse walked up to her. The name tag, located in the exact same place that Daniel's was, tag read 'Anita.' Anita bowed. "Hello, I'm here to see how things are going. Having only woken up just a few hours ago, we need to see how healthy you are."

Jane nodded, but didn't say a word. Anita nodded in reply. "May I have your--"

"Jane," the girl stated immediately.

The nurse looked up in surprise. "Ah, so you've remembered," she stated.

Jane shook her head. "No, I just thought it would be an appropriate name until I can remember."

Anita nodded again. "Ah, yes. Well then, that's fine. I guess then, _Jane_, that I give you a check up."

Jane nodded her head. The nurse went through the process, ultimately finding everything to be in a working order. She then left, but made sure to remind the girl that someone would be coming in to try and help with her amnesia in the morning. Ah yes, that's something she had forgotten earlier. They had told her about amnesia, an illness often caused by a heavy blow to the head.

Amnesia results in memory loss, but most cases it's only temporary. Many times the memory loss is total, but the memories come back over time. Jane's tears had dried up a couple hours ago, and she couldn't seem to cry even if she had wanted to. Well, tomorrow was another day. Speaking of which…

The girl glanced around the room. Some mechanical equipment was up against the wall, but it was turned off. They stated that it was used to measure her heart beat to make sure that she was still living. She had woken up with it on, not even realizing it at first. At her own request, they removed all the wires attaching her to the machine.

Anyway, what was she looking for? Oh yes, of course. On top of the night stand next to the bed, an alarm clock sat. Why it was called an alarm clock, she did not know, nor did she even know how she knew that, but what she did know was that the time read eight hours and forty-five minutes. Wow, it was getting pretty late. She didn't know what time she normally went to bed, but Jane did realize that she was tired.

She slipped the blanket over herself and crawled up into the bed. For an hour, she sat that way, eyes open, staring ahead. Well, at least she assumed it was an hour. Now she was even more tired than even before. Why didn't she just let herself drift off, then? Oh, yes, of course. She was afraid that she might dream. She couldn't take much more, though.

The time soon turned to ten hours zero seconds. Weariness took her. _'No, mustn't give in! Gotta fight! Got… too… fight…'_ Against her own will, no matter how hard she fought it, her body slipped into a deep slumber. Her fears came true. She did dream that night.


	3. One Hell of a Night

**Dreams of an Absent Mind**

_**Part 1: Past Memory**_

_**Chapter 3 – One Hell of a Night**_

_Darkness, darkness… Sheer black… Nothing to see… All gone… A cold wind blows. I shiver in cold. What must I do? Why has this happened? Everyone is gone… Everything passes away… I stand alone when the light fades and the midnight blackness takes hold._

_My lips purse. A name comes to my head. It asks for my words. Screaming, crying out in bitter anguish, I yell out a word. …or was it a name?_

"_Shadow!"_

_Light returns to the world. The ground moves out from underneath my feet. The world spins in a daze. Trees fly by at undeniable speeds, yet I never lift a foot. Without taking a single step, I suddenly find myself flung to a cliff's edge. A creature hangs from the side, reaching out, clawing at the rocky ground._

_My mouth is sealed. My mind is a daze. No where to turn. How can I do this? How can I save him? Answers to do not come. A voice screams out, beckoning to me. The hand slips by. I watch as he falls, failing to hold on. I cannot move. Frozen in time, my mind will not give in._

_Metal smashes against rock. I turn around as quickly as I possibly could. Thick blackness flowed gracefully in the wind as it slowed and settled down behind my head. I stare out in utter horror at the sight beheld. I step back but find the edge. Falling… falling… falling…_

"_Sha--"_

The girl sat straight up in her bed. Her long black hair pulled out in front of her eyes, but she flicked it back. She glanced to her right and took a peek at the small nightstand next to her bed. It read thirty minutes after ten o'clock p.m. sharp. Wait, ten thirty? That late? How long had she been asleep? And what of that dream? Was it the return of a memory…?

Shadow. Shadow. The name sounded familiar. Well, assuming it was a name, at least. Considering the circumstances, it must have been. The figure on the cliffside had fallen and she had called out the name. Who was this Shadow, anyway? And what of that last word? It was interrupted when she had awoken.

Sha. That's what it was. Obviously it wasn't complete, but perhaps it meant something. Or perhaps it was just the previous name before… but wasn't she, in the dream at least, speechless from all the events that had occurred? It sounded more like someone calling out her name…

Shad, Shar, Shay, Shah, Shap… No, nothing. Zilch, notta. Nothing seemed to work. Maybe if she pronounced it?

She pursed her lips. "Shadow, Sharon, Shahla, Shappa, Shan--"

"Shannon McKenzie!" a voice called out.

She blinked. Shannon turned to her right and saw two figures enter the room. The first person to enter was the nurse from the night before. She came in with a small tray of food that suddenly made her feel hungry. Behind the nurse, a strange-looking women entered, who was also apparently the person that had said the name.

The new woman was a good head or two shorter than the nurse. She had short pointy ears on the top of her head and large oval-shaped eyes. She was dressed completely in a blood-red gown. Her body was covered with a furry sort of substance that was a light lavender color. As she walked, Shannon then noticed something else. Behind her, a fluffy object swung too and fro, the same color as her… wait, was that a… tail?!

Shannon's surprise got the better of her. She slid back, bewildered at the sight. "Holy… what in the world are you?!"

The woman chuckled. She carried a purse around with her that she lifted up and set on a table next to the end of the bed. "I'm a fox, girly, deal with it," she proclaimed.

The nurse set down a small tray on the end table right next to Shannon. Anita glanced back at the woman. "I'm sorry, miss Higgins, but as you can see, she doesn't--"

Miss Higgins slipped on a pair of looking glasses that she pulled from her purse. They were oddly sized because of the obvious fact that her eyes were a lot bigger than a human's. She turned back to Anita. "The name's Tracy," she proclaimed.

Shannon looked up in surprise. She turned back to the nurse. "Who is this?" she asked.

Anita turned and nodded. "This is Miss Tracy Higgins. She's a famed psychologist that may be able to help you with your memory problems. Though she can get a bit ornery at times, it would still do you good to show her the utmost respect."

"Yeah, yeah, get on with it," Tracy proclaimed. "Scoot, skedaddle, allow me to deal with this."

The nurse bowed in reply and left the room without saying a word. Shannon's mind filled with fear, but she held it back. They were only doing what they felt best, and she herself sure knew that she couldn't just sit back and do nothing. She wanted to remember!

The woman glared at her. "So, who might you be, then?"

Shannon's eyes filled with even greater surprise. "Wait, what…? Don't you already know?" she asked. _'And if not, then how did you know my name…?'_

* * *

**Author's Note(s)**: I didn't anticipate this chapter to be that great, but it wasn't too bad. 


	4. Clue Finders

**Dreams of an Absent Mind**

_**Part 1: Past Memory**_

**Chapter 4 – Clue Finders**

Shannon nodded. She slid over to the edge of the bed and hung her legs over the edge. That fox woman was sitting down in the chair and surveying the girl's every move. Much to Shannon's surprise, Tracy's face was quite calm and not the grouchy, sly-looking person she had seen earlier. Instead, the fox simply sat there with a stern, determined look on her face, as if she truly intended on helping solve this problem.

"So," Tracy began, "what do you remember?"

The young girl stared up at the fox, trying to determine anything about her. However, nothing came. Shannon passed over it and then tried to think. Thinking was hard. When she thought, pain screamed out. Her head ached, wailing, crying out for mercy.

She leaned forward, grasping her right hand on her forehead to try and steady it, slow the pain. She clenched her teeth and closed her eyes. Still, nothing came--only darkness; echoing black that refused to let go. She shivered with cold. Tears streamed down from her sealed eyes. Suddenly, she stopped.

Shannon slid forward and onto the ground. She landed on her knees, but didn't stop there. Her head faced the ground, hands forward. Her long black hair hung down to the side. "I'm sorry…" she proclaimed.

Tracy sighed. This would be harder than she thought. "Okay, so, is there anything else? Surely you should remember something from the past day, so try there."

The girl turned back up she sat down and curled her legs up, wrapping her arms around them. She rested her head down upon them, tears still streaming down from her eyes. "Does it even matter?! What happened? Nothing! Nothing happened. I only have these haunting dreams that--"

The fox jumped to her feet. "Dreams, you say?" Tracy asked. She stepped forward. "What kind of dreams?"

Shannon looked up. "Why do you--"

"Just tell me," the fox demanded.

Shannon dried up her tears. What did she dream last night, anyway? Her head still ached when she thought about it, but this time the memories of the dream came easily. Why did the dream from the previous day come, though? That vanished in an instant, never to be heard from again.

The girl nodded her head. "I saw… I saw a strange creature."

Tracy smiled. "Go on," she stated.

Shannon continued. "It was black but with red stripes across spikes along its head. It had red eyes and wore a ring-like brace around its arm. I couldn't see its whole body, though, because it was hanging from the edge of a cliff. It seemed to have a mind of its own, and could even talk."

The fox raised her hand up to her chin. _'That sounds like a hedgehog, and matching the description I was given, as well. Maybe this could prove to be worthwhile.'_

The girl didn't notice Tracy's strange reaction to the statement. Instead, she continued on with her explanation. "I called out a name, probably the name of the creature, before it fell over the edge. A strange machine came up behind me and then I fell, as well. As I was falling, I then heard the creature call out my name, but I woke up before it finished saying it."

Tracy nodded in reply. "Good, good. That should do nicely for today. However, may I ask one thing else?"

Shannon nodded and Tracy continued. "What was this creature's name?"

The girl sighed. She forced it out of her mind, despite the pain. The name… Wasn't it…? "Shadow, I think…" she finally proclaimed.

A devious smile appeared on Tracy's face, but Shannon didn't notice. So it was true!

_**XXXXX**_

A dark figure leaned up against the wall in a waiting room just down the hall from the room that Shannon McKenzie was staying in. Anita Veras, the nurse in charge of watching over the girl, was sitting in a chair nearby. She was fully aware of the mystery figure and knew who it was, but was suspicious of what this person was trying to accomplish. A female voice suddenly startled her, waking her from her thoughts.

"What's taking that woman so long?" the mystery person stated.

Anita gritted her teeth. "She'll show. She hasn't been paid yet."

The nurse was angered by this sudden intrusion. This was an innocent girl here. What gave the government the right to start getting involved with her affairs? It was completely uncalled for and totally irrational. She turned up to the woman beside her. "You better not do anything to harm her. She's just a kid."

The figure glared down at the nurse. "And I'm just on a special assignment from the President himself. She knows something and we have to find out just what it is."

Anita jumped to her feet and stared down at the woman, whom was quite shorter than she herself was. "What does she know?" The nurse demanded. "She has amnesia. She doesn't remember--"

"She does," another voice stated nearby.

Tracy Higgins walked down the hallway and stopped out in front of them. Anita turned to her, surprised and suspicious. "Shannon's memory is coming back to her through her dreams, though she doesn't know it yet. Our little friend here also seems to be correct that Shannon has met this person she is looking for."

The mystery woman nodded her head. "As I stated, we studied up heavily on this before even trying to extract some information from the girl."

Tracy nodded in reply. "I see that you're right, but there's something I still don't understand. How did you find out her identity?"

"Case files," the woman retorted. "We matched up pictures and found a match in this girl, whom we all obviously now know is Shannon McKenzie. The location of Shannon's disappearance also matches up with where this girl was found, along with various other links. There are far too many coincidences for it to not be accurate."

She paused for a moment, but continued without waiting for another word. "Speaking of which, did you do it?"

Tracy nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I did what you asked."

Anita glared at the mystery woman. "Did what?" she asked. "You better not do anything to harm her, batgirl!"

The batgirl snickered. "Don't worry, I won't. I'm just trying out a little test. If my theory is correct, then she should be able to get out of that room by herself. Now, we just wait."

The nurse sighed. _'I still don't like it…'_ she told herself.


	5. Encaged

**Dreams of an Absent Mind**

_**Part 1: Past Memory**_

_**Chapter 5 – Encaged**_

Shannon leaned back and placed her hands on the bed, her legs hanging off. That Tracy woman left a while ago, but no one had come around since. No noises, no movements, no action. It frightened her slightly, but she simply sat down and waited… and waited... and waited... up until now, of course.

She was getting impatient. It was still the middle of the day. Yesterday she spent most of the time thinking over everything, lying in bed. Today, though, she was ready to get out, ready for action. Unfortunately, these people didn't seem to contend to her wishes. They didn't even ask her what SHE wanted. Shannon was fed up. She had to get out of here!

The girl pushed herself off of the bed and on to the floor. Both her legs were broken when she was found, but now, they were mostly mended. She hadn't much experience walking just yet, but using the end table next to the bed to keep balanced, she managed to finally stand on two legs for the first time, in… who knows how long…

She stepped forward, but stumbled to the ground. Determined, she braced herself and grabbed onto the table again, using it to pull herself back up. She balanced herself as she walked, step by step, until finally she could feel the strength coming back to her legs. She moved swiftly across the room and to the door. She reached for the handle and turned.

…

It didn't budge.

She twisted hard on the knob, but it refused to move an inch. It was locked.

Shannon collapsed to the ground, her hand sliding down the wooden oak door as she fell. Her left leg sat at an angle while her right foot positioned itself vertically. They had locked her in. They had locked her in. Why did they need to lock her in, what purpose did it serve? Did they need her for something?

This only made her more desperate.

A booming noise echoed through the room, startling her. Shaking the thoughts from her head, she swiftly jumped to her feet and darted back to the bed. She threw herself onto it, reaching across to pull the curtains aside. The day was unusually dark. Clouds formed ahead and water poured onto the ground. Flashes of light shook the sky. The ground was so far away…

She turned over onto her side, her long hair flowing out behind her. She looked on ahead to the doorway. Her eyes narrowed in on the knob, seeing a tiny little hole there. A thought came to her head, though she didn't know where it came from. She could pick the lock!

Shannon darted forward, but suddenly realized the solemn truth. She had nothing to open the door with. Even then, she couldn't go out like this. Looking below, she saw that she was wearing pure white clothing. Typical hospitals contained the same kind of garb, but doesn't one normally wear clothing to a hospital? Well, they probably re-dressed her, but… where was her clothes, anyway?!

The room housed nothing. It was merely a tiny little room with a bed, a couple of machines, an end table, a chair, and a large cabinet. Nothing else was here. Wait, on the back of the chair…

A light leather jacket was draped over the back of the chair. She reached for it and slipped it on. It covered her entire upper body and prevented one from seeing the white blouse that she was wearing. The skirt was another problem, but it didn't look too bad. She stuffed her hands into the pockets, but then felt her right hand touch something. Clutching the object, she pulled it out and found a few green pieces of paper. Wait, it was money!

Shannon quickly flicked through it. She counted up each bill and added everything together. Five, Ten, Thirty, Forty! Forty dollars was in this! Hmm… that could do well. She could buy a bus ticket, grab some new clothes, and get some food. Where would she sleep, though?

She shook the thought away. No matter what the case, it was probably better than staying here. She had to get out and find her family. That would do. How would she manage that? Shannon didn't know the answer, but what she did know was that she had to get out of here.

Getting out was another problem. She could probably pick the lock, but what would she use? She sighed. This was no use. Why bother thinking about an escape when there wouldn't be one. There's no way she could get out of here.

Shannon sighed and sat back down on the bed. She brushed her hand through her hair, thinking about the situation. Everything she needed was right here, but the only probably was getting out. What could she use to pick a lock on a door…? Hmm…

She stopped in her tracks. Her thoughts strayed away. What's this…?

Removing her hand from her head, she pulled out a tiny hair clip. This clip was a loop with a flat end and a wavy end. The loop began at the bottom and remained that was until reached the end. Here, it curved completely around and, had this end not been so wavy, ran perfectly parallel to the other end. She raised an eyebrow.

The girl quickly rushed to the opposite end of the room and slipped the tiny clip into the hole on the door. Twisting around a bit, she managed to trigger the mechanism that kept the door sealed tightly shut. With that out of the way, the knob turned with ease.

She quietly opened the door and looked around. No one was in the near area, but she did notice a cart a little ways away. A piece of cloth was draped over it, covering everything completely. Remembering something about these things, she could recall that the bottom rack was use for extra supplies but generally wasn't used.

Shannon slipped out and shut the door, locking it again. She snuck across the hall and lifted the drape, ducking down and setting herself on it. She waited a little bit, and finally, a woman came out of the room nearby. She pushed on the cart a bit, finding it a bit strange at the added weight. Not paying attention, she turned back and pushed forward and the cart rolled down the floor of the hospital.

The young girl just sat back and waited. Shannon could somehow recall a glimpse of the layout of this place. She remembered an exit where she could sneak out unnoticed without any alarms going off. This whole scenario was getting weirder by the second, but she passed it off. That would come later. Now, only one thing was on her mind: Escape.


	6. Escape

**Dreams of an Absent Mind**

_**Part 1: Past Memory**_

_**Chapter 6 – Escape**_

The nurse Anita Veras was sitting down in a chair in the third floor waiting room of the Station Square Memorial Hospital. Across from her, a few feet away, Tracy Higgins was hunched over a newspaper, reading through it carefully. Next to Anita, a mysterious figure stood above.

The figure was an anthropomorphic bat. It was female with white fur, lavender eyes, and a purple jumpsuit. The nurse did know one other thing about her, though. She was a government agent sent to investigate the disappearance of someone, which is now quite clearly Shannon McKenzie. However, rumors about indicated that this "government agent" also works as a spy and a treasure hunter, and even formerly worked as a jewel thief.

The bat tapped her feet impatiently. "It shouldn't be taking this long…" she stated.

Anita was surprised by this comment. She looked up. "Couldn't Shannon have just gone the other direction?" she asked.

The bat nodded her head. "All exits are being watched. No matter which way she goes, we'll catch her. I will then be informed via radio transmission about the success of the test."

The nurse was still aware of the situation, and also afraid for Shannon's safety. "What is this 'test' you keep referring to, anyway?"

The bat nodded again. "We have suspicions that Shannon may have interacted with someone we are looking for. According to our knowledge, Shannon should not be able to break from that room. However, if she interacted with our fellow agent under specific circumstances, she just may be able to pick that lock. We'll wait a few more minutes, and if she doesn't get out, we'll leave her be."

Anita sighed. That didn't sound very just. This was a young girl, here. She's been through enough as is. This experience will only lower her morale even further. Besides that, there's no way she's going to get out of that room. This little 'test' was ludicrous. Whatever the case, that's the government for you. Who could possibly be more important than that girl…?

They waited, and waited, and waited, and waited. Finally, batgirl checked her watch. Fifteen more minutes they had waited, but still nothing. They could wait another fifteen and make it a half hour, but it really didn't matter. It was obvious that she wasn't going to be going anywhere soon.

The bat pushed herself forward and began walking back down the hall and toward the room. Anita jumped up and followed. Tracy decided to get up and follow, as well, and the three arrived back at Shannon's room. The nurse stepped ahead to unlock the door. Surprisingly, though, it opened with ease. The door slid open, and…

The room was empty. The bed coverings were still wrinkled over, indicating that something had been there before. The window was sealed tight so she couldn't possibly have gotten through there even if she did find a way to climb down safely. Anita stepped forward, but she felt something beneath her feet. Reaching down, she picked up a small hair clip.

The bat glanced at it, but clearly showed her worries. "So she did escape," she proclaimed.

"Nice one, batgirl," Tracy proclaimed. "Now that girl is out somewhere, all alone. What do you have to say to that?"

The bat slammed her fist up against the wall. "Damnit!"

A beeping noise startled the trio. The bat quickly realized what it was. She lifted her wrist up. "Agent Rouge, this is GUN HQ. Have you managed to locate the whereabouts of the missing agent?"

Rouge nodded, turning her back to the others. "This is Rouge. No, we failed to retrieve the information, but we have discovered that the girl may have met the agent, after all. However, she managed to slip passed us."

The reply wasn't too pleasing, and she knew that it wouldn't be. "This won't go down well on your resume. We are not to bring any harm to anyone during this mission, understand?"

The bat nodded again, despite the fact he couldn't see her. "I understand, Commander. I will proceed immediately to track down her whereabouts and get back with a full report. Rouge out."

She closed the link and stared blankly. Finally, she turned back around. "Tracy, did you leave that item here like I asked you to do?" Rouge asked.

The fox nodded, but then shrugged. "Yeah, but what does that--"

"Find it," the bat demanded.

Tracy nodded. She turned and walked back to where she had been sitting earlier. She had hung her jacket around the back of the chair, here, and… She gasped out.

The fox spun around. "It's gone!" she yelled.

Anita raised an eyebrow. She turned to Rouge. "You planted a tracking device, didn't you?"

The bat nodded and smiled. "Yes. Though Shannon is suffering with that amnesia, she still was smart enough to know that she couldn't just run out in those clothes. People would get suspicious. It would be hard enough for her to get out of this building, but apparently she managed to do so. Knowing this, I planted the tracking device just in case she was able to elude us. I didn't think it would come down to this, but I guess my forethought paid off."

Tracy looked up in surprise. "How did you slip a tracking device onto my jacket without me noticing?" she asked.

The bat laughed. "Well, duh, I asked to look at it. You handed me the jacket and I pretended to be examining it thoroughly. Well, I actually was. I went and slipped the small object into the inside pocket. That was the tracking device which we are finding the location of right now."

The fox placed her hand on her hip and nodded. "I see."

Rouge turned back and stared off. The two medical associates watched her, suspiciously, but she paid no attention to them. Something else was on her mind right now. _'Where have you gone, Shadow? Please let me find you…'_ she told herself.

**_XXXXX_**

It's a strange feeling… realizing that you are looking upon yourself for the first time… Well, Shannon wasn't really looking at herself for the first time, but it was definitely the first time she could remember. Mirrors don't lie.

Exiting out the back of the hospital, she had hopped a bus down a ways and got off. She stopped in a department store and bought a quick change of clothes, then found a nice, small, quaint restaurant to stop in. Here, she slipped into the restroom, cleaned herself up, and finally changed out her old clothes with new ones. She decided to keep the jacket, though something in her mind told her that she shouldn't have taken it in the first place.

Now at last, looking upon herself, she gazed deeply into the depths of her own soul. Her long hair flowed out gracefully behind her, reaching beyond her shoulders. The deepest of blackness was it, glistening under the shallow lights of the dim room. Her eyes were of the flames, irises the color of blood. Tense, dazed, and weary, but headstrong.

Her thoughts overwhelmed her. Fear entered into her heart. _'What is the meaning of this? This dreams… what does it mean? Why are those people after me? Just what is going on around here? Who, what…'_

She lowered her head. No, it mustn't come to that. Have to keep strong. Not going to lose sight of the goal.

Shannon shook the thoughts away. _'I need more time…'_ she told herself.

A noise echoed out. She looked up and saw a tall woman enter into the room. This new person looking down upon the girl, startling her. Shannon backed away. The woman chuckled. "What's your problem?" she asked.

Shannon shook her head. "I… it's nothing…" she stated.

Darting out of the small restroom, she quickly found her way out of the building and back onto the streets of Station Square. She glanced around and sighed. This would be a long day. "Well, at least the rain has stopped," she told herself, lifting her spirits a little.

A droplet of water landed on her head. Shannon looked up as the rainwater poured down again. Soaked to the brim, she turned forward again and sighed. _'So much for that idea…'_


	7. On the Run

**Dreams of an Absent Mind**

_**Part 2**_

"_Shadow!"_

_My eyes turned. I see deep blue. Long blonde flows graciously in the. Wait, wind…? What wind?_

_My legs swayed in a fluid motion. Left, right, and left again. The air blew across my face. Her eyes taunted me._

_Everything was utter chaos. Confusing; oh so confusing. Something was going on, something bad, but my mind failed to make it out._

"_What's going on?" her voice called out behind me._

_My eyes narrowed. Maria…_

_I turned back to her again, but something was different… something hand changed. It was Maria… but not Maria. Black hair, red eyes, scared expressions._

_The scene vanished into darkness, but the girl was still there. Just a scared little girl in a big world. Slipping, hanging, falling, collapsing. Screams of horror echo out from above. Blackness._

_**Chapter 7 – On the Run**_

_A strange feeling. I couldn't make out what it was. My mind wanted to give in, wanting to know the truth. However, stubbornly, it refused to give in. A voice in my mind stated that something was wrong, but my weariness kept hold._

Eyes stared down upon the girl. "Hey, is anybody in there?!" a voice called.

She rolled over, pushing away. "Just five more minutes…" she muttered.

He pushed again. "Sorry girly, but this is no place to sleep."

_Blurry images appeared in her head. A purple figure; clearly an anthro of some sort. It seemed to be a sort of weasel, but it had a huge buck tooth coming from its mouth._

The images formed more clearly. Shannon sat up and rubbed her head. That was most uncomfortably.

"Hey, sweetheart," a voice proclaimed.

She turned and quickly gasped out. Shannon backed away, but then found that she couldn't move any further. "Who… Who're y… you?" she asked, stuttering.

The mystery person backed away, waving his hand. "Hey, I didn't mean to scare or startle you. I just saw you lying there and was curious about what you were doing."

Shannon hung her legs down from the bench, glaring at the weasel untrusting. "I was resting, got a problem with that?" she asked.

The weasel scratched his head. "Well, yeah, sort of. You're lying here, in the middle of the night, by yourself, all alone, at your age, at a bus stop. If that isn't suspicious, I don't know what is."

He turned to her and held out his hand. "You can call me Nack. Nack the Weasel."

Shannon watched him, curiously. Finally, she grabbed his hand and he pulled her up. Nack glanced at her. He bowed and held out his hand. The girl walked passed and stepped up onto the bus. A sly grin crossed the weasel's face.

**_XXXXX_**

Commander William Stryker, top ranking member of the G.U.N. Federation Forces, looked over some case files at the Station Square city courthouse. It was an interesting case, but that's not why he was looking it up. Something else was on his mind right now that needed his full attention.

A noise came up from behind. A knob turned and the door to the room opened. It shut again, but light footsteps could be heard on the marble flooring.

William was sitting at a desk in the room, but when someone came up behind him, he looked. "I see that you are right on schedule," he proclaimed, spinning around to face the person.

Rouge nodded. "So, what's this all about?" she asked.

The Commander nodded. "He spun himself back around in the chair to face the desk. Papers were strewn across it. "I've been reading up on this case and am trying to determine just how it links to our own."

Rouge stepped up to the desk and looked at the files. Shannon's case was based on her mysterious disappearance five months ago. The assumption was that she had been kidnapped when she and her father were hiking in the woods.

An ironic coincidence was that a G.U.N. agent was searching around that same area. Strangely, he disappeared as well. When Shannon was found, she was left at the bottom of a cliff and completely stripped of her clothes. Both of her legs were broken, she had a serious blow to the head, and her wrists were severely swollen.

Rouge raised an eyebrow. She turned to her boss. "Rape?" she asked.

The Commander nodded. "I'm afraid to think about it, but it seems to be the only proper, logical conclusion."

The bat sighed. She raised her right hand up to her chin. "That may be, but who would do this? And how does it relate to Shadow?"

William shook his hand. "I don't know. That is what I wanted Shannon's help. I've heard that in her sleep she often said some various things, many of which only he could have possibly known. He must have interacted with her someone, and perhaps helped her to escape."

Rouge nodded. She turned around and headed for the exit, pulling out a small device in her hand. "I'm on it. Shannon will be safely back in my hands soon."

William stood up and turned back to her, saluting. "Good luck, Rouge."

The bat turned back, saluting in reply. "You can count on me," she proclaimed.

Rouge quickly rushed out of the room and shut the door behind. William nodded his head. _'Please do not fail,'_ he thought to himself. _'The security of the world may be in jeopardy if Shadow is lost…'_


	8. Down Memory Lane

**Dreams of an Absent Mind**

_**Part 2: On the Run**_

_**Chapter 8 – Down Memory Lane**_

Shannon watched as the world passed by. Lights flashed; vehicles drove through the streets; people walked to and from late night shifts, supporting families, helping with the daily needs. The city of Station Square flashed before her eyes. Somewhere, in the midst of all this, she should be a part of it.

Nack was a very talkative fellow. He kept looking this way and that, chatting with neighbors, and also trying to converse with Shannon. However, the girl held no interest in him. She was still quite suspicious, but he seemed like a pretty nice guy. Still, something didn't seem quite right…

The weasel turned to her, curiously. "So, sweetie, watcha up to?" he asked.

Shannon sighed. This is the third time he had asked that question, and each time she just ignored him. As usual, he passed it up and started looking elsewhere, but always kept on coming back a little later and asking it again. The girl turned her eyes up and gazed at the ceiling. Her mind was elsewhere, lost in thoughts. She mused about the situation, thinking, wondering.

At last, she turned back to the weasel, leveling her face with his, and then… turned away, sighing once again. "Nothing I wish to talk about," she proclaimed.

Nack gave an awkward stare, but finally, turned away. He hung his head low, appearing to feel sorry for her. Secretly, though, dark thoughts crowed his mind. A snicker crossed his face. This was all too perfect.

Time passed by. Minute by minute, second by second, and… hour by hour, Shannon watched and waited. Her thoughts drifted. Who was her family? Where did she live? Did her parents even know that she was alive? Probably not…

These dreams… now, it was obvious to her. They must be the key to unlocking the past in the absence of the mind. However, just what did they mean? Why did those people want her, what were they planning? Who is this "Shadow?"

The bus came to a halt. Shannon glanced around in surprise. Strangely, something seemed to tell her that it was time to leave. Actually, something else also came to her, telling her to run and call the police. For what reasoning, though? Her eyes drifted… Wait, Nack…? Him…? Were her suspicions correct? She made up her mind.

Shannon stood up and swiftly walked up the aisle. Nack got up and followed behind. The girl was well aware of this. Her mind told her to get away. It told her that he was dangerous, alerting her that she must run immediately upon stepping foot on solid ground.

Light gazed down upon the dark streets. A faint glimmer of hope, the morning sunlight, peeking itself over the horizon. A beautiful spectacle it was. Her feet hit the pavement, and then stepped up the curb and onto the sidewalk. Footsteps came up behind her.

The girl turned to her left and saw Nack walk up beside her. The bus pulled away, yet something else caught her ears. A flapping noise and the rush of wind over their heads. Shannon spun right in the direction it went, but saw nothing.

"So, where are you off to?" Nack asked, stepping up next to her.

Shannon raised an eyebrow. Something seemed… peculiar about his tone of voice, but she pushed it aside. "That is none of your concern," she snapped out, refusing to turn back to face him.

Nack laughed. "Ooh, someone's snippy," he proclaimed.

The girl just ignored him and began to walk away. Nack opened his mouth, again. "Y'know, you remind me of someone… Actually, you remind me a LOT of someone… Too much, even. Of course, you two couldn't possibly be related, let alone the same person…"

Shannon gasped out. A look of pure horror crossed her face. She spun back around to face Nack. "W… What are you saying?!" she demanded.

Nack chuckled. He waved off the comment. "Oh, nothing. You just remind me of some guy that booked me a while back. I hear he's dead nowadays, though…"

Shannon backed away. The realizations hit her. Now, something truly felt wrong. The name Nack didn't sound all that familiar, but now that she thought about it, this "Nack" fit the description perfectly of an escaped convict… Fang… Yes, Fang was his name. So, this guy "booked" Nack? Booked, as in, imprisoned…?

The weasel twirled a revolver in his fingers, smiling gleefully. "Y'know, I never did tell you that guy's name. You remember Shadow the Hedgehog, don't you, little girl? I hear he was very well-known, almost as well-known as Sonic the Hedgehog."

The girl backed away even further. There it was, that name again. Shadow… so familiar, but why? Who was he? What did he have to do with her? And what happened to him…? Was he… dead…?

She had no time to think about it. Any second and she was dead, too. Shannon gritted her teeth. "You killed him!"

The weasel snickered. "So what if I did?" he asked. "What are you going to do about it?"

The girl fell silent. He was right. What COULD she do about it? She had no means of defense, nothing to fight him off. That gun of his could shoot her down any second if she made the slightest mistake. She could do absolutely nothing.

Fang smiled, slyly. He chuckled, and his chuckle turned into a laugh. Finally, he stared her down. No one was around this early in the morning. No one could see his triumph, which was actually a good thing. "Good girl," he stated. "Now come along with me. I'm sure that a father would pay handsomely to get his dear little daughter back from the clutches of a ruthless bounty hunter like myself, wouldn't you agree?"

Shannon stepped back and gasped out. She wanted to run, but knew she could not. That gun aimed downward at her. Sincerity crossed the weasel's face, if only for a second. The smile returned again, though, as quickly as it had left… that crude, obnoxious, sly smile.

The weasel removed his hat and bowed graciously. "My dear, this way, please…" he proclaimed.

Fang led her off into an alleyway and out of sight. From a high point above them, a looming figure watched from the rooftops. A sneer crossed her face. She raised her arm up to her face. "This is Agent Rouge. I seem to have run into a slight problem and may in fact need backup. The fugitive has been located and is confirmed to be armed, I repeat, the fugitive is armed."

A voice came back through. "GUN HQ, here. A team will be sent to your present location ASAP."

The bat nodded. She sighed and turned right, noticing the weasel escape in his hover bike. _'This wasn't part of the plan…'_ she told herself.

Rouge sighed. She raised her arm back up again. "Do it quickly," she proclaimed. "Shannon's life is at stake." She closed the connection and watched as the weasel raced off. _'And perhaps Shadow's, as well, if we can't figure out what happened to him in time…'_

She shook the thoughts out of her head. No, now is not the time for angst—it is the time for action. Rouge quickly raced ahead and jumped off of the rooftop, disappearing from sight.


	9. Mind's Betrayal

**Dreams of an Absent Mind**

_**Part 2: On the Run**_

_**Chapter 9 – Mind's Betrayal**_

_The wind rushed across my face. Running, racing, dashing as fast as my legs could carry me. Anger swelled, boiling up inside. Escape… I must escape! …but… to where…? And why?_

_I turned. The eyes. Those beautiful eyes… A hand reached out and touched me. I looked up, and then I…_

A hand slapped across her face. Shannon jumped to her feet, startled. She reached up and touched her cheek. It stung a little, but wasn't too severe. She looked up and saw him, the weasel with purple fur and a strange cowboy hat, standing above her.

Fang glared down at her. A dark expression crossed his face. He folded his arms together. "Y'know what? You are such a hassle that it may not be worth letting you live. You sleep hours on end, you ignore everything I say, and these cops somehow manage to find me wherever I take you. I'm starting to think that this was some kind of set up."

Shannon looked up at him. A shallow expression showed on her face. She wanted to let it all out, but she held back and said absolutely nothing.

The weasel sighed. "And there you go again, entering into your little state where you sit and sulk, ignoring everything I say." Fang turned away. "We will be leaving shortly."

The girl sighed. She looked up and noticed that Fang stared out of their little covering of trees. Sunlight peeked down from the sky, indicating that morning was fast approaching. In the distance, vehicles could be heard driving down a highway that goes through the forest and into a tunnel dug into the mountains that will take you directly to Future City.

They were actually about six hundred feet off the main road, hidden in the woods. Soldiers lurked through the dense jungle a ways away but were not all that close just yet. Regardless, it was strange how they knew EXACTLY where to look. It's almost as if they were being tracked somehow…

Shannon sat down onto a tree stump, tossing the thoughts into the back of her mind. That was for another day. They had been walking a long ways and now, quite frankly, she was tired. Her legs ached. Sweat poured down from her head. Her socks were also soaked with it, stuck up in those shoes. To avoid making noise, Fang had them walk for a long while instead of riding. Now, she was suffering from it.

She pulled off her shoes and tossed them to the ground. She went further and pulled off her socks, tossing them down as well. Reaching with her hands, she went for the right foot and began rubbing it, trying to sooth it. She then turned to her other foot, easing her weariness. That weasel had them walk for miles to avoid the soldiers finding them from the noise of that air bike, known as the 'Marvelous Queen.'

Despite the canopy of trees above them, the sunlight somehow peeked through. It was already warm enough, but apparently noon was fast approaching. Shannon was wishing that it would rain again. The heat scorched her body. She took off the jacket she had, er, borrowed… without permission… and tossed it onto the ground. She rubbed her shoulders, attempting to find a way to stay cool. Removing the jacket helped some, but it was still rather hot out.

The jacket fell through the air, landing a few feet away. A small, round, white object rolled out, but Shannon paid no attention to it. Fang, on the other hand, decided to turn around and see what was going on. He rolled his eyes at her measly attempts. He went to turn away, but something else caught his eye. The jacket lay on the ground, but… what was that other thing lying there? The sun reflected off of it, blazing brightly.

Shannon suddenly noticed the weasel kneel down onto the ground. She watched him, curiously. He picked up the white object and she looked at it, marveling. He stared blankly into its depths. Fang rolled it around in his fingers, examining it in every way he could. At last, a painful scowl crossed his face.

Fang dropped the object onto the ground before him. Immediately, he slammed his foot down on top of it, crushing it. The weasel narrowed his eyes. He turned, facing Shannon head-on. "You…" he proclaimed.

Shannon jumped to her feet, but immediately Fang darted over. A gun barrel pushed up against the side of her head. She looked out in surprise, not moving any part of her body for fear that the slightest movement would cause him to trigger it. What was that thing, anyway?!

The weasel glared intently. "As I had thought earlier, you tricked me!" he proclaimed. "I should've just listened to my gut instinct and killed you then. Perhaps I can deal with you now, though…"

Voices called out in the distance. Fang spun around, hearing movements in the trees. "Ah, now that they are no longer tracking us, they have come to capture me." The weasel lowered his head, narrowing his eyes. "Excellent," he proclaimed.

Shannon backed away in surprised. "Tracking…?" she asked.

Fang chuckled to himself, ignoring her. "Ah, you are clever, young one, but you seemed to have missed a tiny little detail…" he spun back, aiming the index finger of his left hand straight for her. "You have forgotten to arm yourself. With you as my hostage, those GUN Geeks won't dare attack me!"

The weasel turned away, again. Shannon narrowed her eyes. "Lunatic…" she muttered softly to herself.

Fang raised an eyebrow. He spun back to face her. "What did you say?" he demanded.

Shannon stepped back. "Er, uh, nothing…" she stated.

Her captor nodded to himself. "Aha, I see. Unfortunately, we must now be going. Those soldiers will be here soon."

The girl nodded to herself. She turned around and reached out for her socks and shoes, grabbing one of each, trying to slip them on as quickly as possible. Shannon reached out again, but a hand grasped onto her wrist. She once again felt a gun barrel poised up against the back of her head. "Uh-uh, you should've thought about that earlier. I have no time for you to dawdle. Come, now, or watch as your brains spew out across the ground."

Shannon clenched her teeth together, but nodded. She had no say in the matter. It was listen or die. Fang pushed her up onto the bike and he climbed into the front, pulling away. The bike lifted slightly in the air, indicating that it was a… wait, what? Yet another thing she remembered… that name, the name of such vehicles, was "Extreme Gear." Was that what this is? Hmm… Marvelous Queen is quite a weird name.

A few men arrived at the seen just in time to hear a noise, seeing something fly off. However, they were unable to determine what it was. The leader was not fooled, though. He knew whom it was. That weasel was here just a minute ago. It was all too obvious.

"Greg!" a voice called out.

Greg stepped forward, meeting up with his underling. One sock, one shoe, a jacket, and a smashed-up tracer device all lay on the ground. The third member chuckled. "So that's why our tracker went dead," he stated.

The leader nodded. "Yes," he stated. "Fang's onto us."

The second member nodded in reply, but then turned back to the remaining objects. "Yeah, but what's this from?" he stated.

Greg narrowed his eyes. He knew whom they called her, whom they thought she was, but he had other ideas. Regardless, whatever was popular at the time, he would use it. "Shannon," he stated.

The soldier stood his ground. He sat there, staring at the three objects. Finally, he stood up. "Bag it. We can take it to the crime lab and see if they can gather anything."

The two soldiers nodded. "Yes sir!" the proclaimed.

Greg simply stood there, staring out. _'I don't know who you are, but I will find out for sure,'_ he said to himself.

**_XXXXX_**

Rouge the Bat stood broadly, overlooking the team she had recruited. Spreading out, they managed to form a perimeter around the area. If that weasel wanted to get out, he would have to come in this direction. To their left was the forest and to their right was a rock wall. As he neared the mountainside, the perimeter would close in, trapping the weasel in. They would then be able to catch him and rescue Shannon. Perhaps, then, she would be able to find the answers she desired.

Heh, this was such an interesting set of circumstances. So Fang finally decided to come out of hiding, 'eh? Good, good… or perhaps not so good, whatever one decided. Ever since Shadow went on that mission, he disappeared, never to be found. He went on a mission… to capture Fang…

She shook the thoughts out of her head. It was all in the past. Whatever happens, whatever comes up, she will confront it. Yes, of course. He isn't dead. He's just out there, somewhere… Wherever it is, he must be—no, he IS alive.

Rouge turned to look at the crew assembled. This was it. It was ready to catch him. He'd be here any minute, she reckoned. "Get ready to—"

A loud noise echoed across the valley. A purple object sped past at an extremely past face. The bat turned and watched it go by. The weasel was driving it. He turned and stared out, sticking his tongue out at her. A scream cried out.

Rouge gasped, darting forward. "W—wait!" she yelled out.

Fang's eyes opened wide. He swerved left as fast as he could; immediately coming to a complete halt. The weasel realized that he had forgotten about that rock wall. The mountains go far down through the jungle. This little area right next to them was cut down to allow room for a roadway that led alongside the mountains and into a tunnel. The tunnel went through the mountains and led straight over to Future City a couple hundred miles west.

Soldiers charged out of the woods. Others came down from the path, corning the weasel up against the mountain. Rouge moved forward with her own group, as well. While there were other high-ranking members helping with their own teams, Rouge was the one whom was in charge of this whole expedition. She stepped forward, snickering. "You have no way out, Fang. Just give yourself up."

A sly grin crossed the weasel's face. He hopped off of the bike and quickly darted to the back of the bike, grabbing hold of Shannon. The girl quickly found herself facing the weasel with a gun barrel placed against her forehead. Fang turned to face the soldiers again, of whom quickly backed away and lowered their weapons. He laughed. "Now you see that you cannot stop me," he stated.

Rouge narrowed her eyes. "Let her go, Fang!" she demanded.

Fang snickered. He pulled Shannon off of the bike, gun barrel still aimed at the back of her head. The girl gasped out. "Actually," the weasel commented, "I like her company. I think I'll keep her a little bit longer…"

The bat stepped forward. Fang quickly spread out his arms. "Uh-uh, I don't think so," he proclaimed. "Any closer and this girl is going to feel a bullet in her brains. Just do me a little favor and back off."

Rouge hissed. "I don't believe this!"

A sly grinned crossed the weasel's face once again. "Believe it," he proclaimed.

Rouge gritted her teeth. She turned to her left, nodding her head. She turned right again, doing the same. "Spread apart," she stated. "Drop your weapons and get out of the way."

A few muttered unto themselves, curious about the decision. Whatever the case, though, they finally agreed to back down. A split in the line formed, giving safe passageway across. Fang quickly pushed Shannon back onto the bike and dashed through. He waved off at Rouge as he passed by. "See ya, suckers!"

Rouge gritted her teeth and watched helplessly as the weasel dashed off. This was only a ploy, though, of course. The instant Fang was out of sight, she'd sent troops to track him down and follow him. That would do nicely. If they surprise him, they just may be able to save…

She stopped in her thoughts. Fang showed off, waving his gun in the air at the troops. However, he didn't notice an incoming object flying through at blinding speeds. Only from the screaming voice of Shannon did he finally turn back to see the figure coming through.

The weasel swerved out of the way. The 'object' that was coming down the roadway quickly slowed to a stop. Shannon glanced up from her seat in surprise. She glared at the figure. Her blood boiled and she didn't even know why. _'It's that hedgehog…'_ her thoughts told her.

Sonic chuckled. "Well, then, nice to see you, too," he proclaimed. Glancing around at the soldiers, Rouge, and the weasel, he continued. "So, did I miss the party?"

Fang snorted. He grabbed Shannon's hair and pulled her to him, pushing the gun barrel up against the back of her head full force. "Does this look like a party to you?" he asked, angrily.

The hedgehog narrowed his eyes. He backed away, waving out his hands. "Hey, I didn't mean to interrupt, but with all these people around here, I was a little curious as to what was going on. Still, this isn't the Fang I remember. I didn't know you were one to kidnap helpless little girls and hold them hostage. I guess I was wrong…"

Shannon faces turned flush. "Wh—helpless?! How can you possibly say that?!" the comment only angered her more. Yeah, the situation sure didn't look well, but…

Sonic lowered his head. "Yeah, and how did you manage to get yourself into this mess in the first place?"

Fang narrowed his eyes. "Enough with this! It's just business, that's all there is to it. Now if you'll excuse me, I have money to make, so just back off or I WILL kill her!"

Sonic held up his hands and backed away. "Sorry I asked," he commented.

A sly grin crossed Fang's face. "Yes, yes, there you go. Haul back into your little hole so that I can make my way…"

The weasel quickly revved the engine on his air bike, known as the Marvelous Queen. At least, he darted off, disappearing into the distant. Rouge watched him go, but her eyes quickly turned to Sonic. "What are you doing here, hedgehog?!" she hissed.

Sonic turned back to the bat. "Hey, I'm just trying to help," he stated. "You certainly were able to handle that situation quite well, I see."

Rouge narrowed her eyes. "Shut it; that is none of your concern!"

He rolled his eyes. "Right… Sorry, but when someone's life is on the line, then it IS my concern. Do you have anything better to say?"

The bat fell silent. He picked the perfect thing to say, didn't he? That was very correct. She DIDN'T have anything better to say. That's all she could come up with. Sonic beat her in a game of words. No one ever beat her in anything… well, except Shadow…

Sonic nodded his head. "I see. Well, then, I'll just be on my way. With you and your gang charging after Fang, it'll surely alert him to your presence. If I go alone, though, I can track him down without him noticing me."

Rouge sighed. "Well, then, I guess I have no choice. Once you capture Fang, let me know, but… make sure to keep Shannon safe. She cannot be harmed."

Sonic chuckled slightly. _'Shannon, huh? That's her name? It sounds vaguely familiar…'_ he shook the thought out of his head. He turned back to face Rouge again. "I'm not after her," he stated. "I'm here to rescue her."

The hedgehog quickly raced off into the distance. This wasn't what Rouge had planned; she didn't want to get anyone else involved, but… better resort to that hedgehog that allowing the girl to fall into the wrong hands. Lesser of two evils… yes, that's it.

Rouge lowered her head. _'Shadow, wherever you are, stay safe… I will find you soon enough…'_ she thought to herself.

The bat looked up, narrowing her eyes. It was no use fretting over such matters. Though she may not be able to help rescue Shannon, she could assure Sonic's risks would not be in vain. She spun around, facing the leader of the northern group. "Smith, you and your group stay here with Terra's. I will take my group and go with Greg to wait for Sonic on the other side of the bend. Got that?"

Agent Smith nodded in reply. He saluted. "Yes, maam."

Rouge nodded. "Good," she proclaimed. Her eyes shifted.

"Lieutenant Gregory!" she called out, searching the premises. His crew was a little bit smaller than some of the others as it was used as a scout troop. She managed to locate a few of his men, but Greg and his two subordinates were both missing. "Lieutenant?" she asked.

An agent walked up to her. It was a young woman with brown hair and light skin. She was obviously taller than Rouge herself, but that didn't faze her. "Agent Topaz," the woman stated.

Rouge raised an eyebrow. "Topaz, hmm? I haven't seen you around here before..."

Topaz nodded. "I got moved over to the home base from Westopolis," she stated.

The bat nodded. "Alright, then. What is it that you wished to say?"

Topaz nodded again. "The lieutenant left for Central City a while ago and placed me in charge. He said he found something that could make this case."

Rouge nodded her head. "Thanks for the notice. I shall note this for later."

Topaz saluted and then returned to her group. Rouge closed her eyes, thinking over this. _'"Make the case"? What does he mean by that...?'_ she asked herself.

She quickly shook the thoughts out of her head. It didn't matter. It was now or never. She turned her head back up to face the soldiers present here. Was this whole thing worthwhile, or was it all in vain? Surely they would understand... or perhaps she herself was simply being far to selfish for her own good. Rouge didn't know which, but she was certainly ready to find out.

* * *

**Author's Note(s)**: 'Eh, I've actually had this done for a while. No, I haven't been slagging back. In fact, I'm already on Chapter 18 out of 22. No, actually, I merely have to finish typing them into my PC, while of course improving the overall quality. 

Truth be told, I hate this whole scenario. The reasoning is because it is unrealistic for a legion of soldiers to go after one person based on a hunch. I suppose that there is one good excuse here, though, and that is the fact that they are hunting down an escaped convict. I'm really mixed on it, though, overall. Still, it's definitely better than other things I've done.

A few paragraphs at the end, here (after Rouge's thoughts about Shadow) were actually added in at the last second. I wanted to add a little more depth. Topaz, though? She's just a cameo. Yes, it is supposed to be THE Topaz from Sonic X. I like Topaz a lot, and as such, I like referencing her. This little modified backstory of Topaz will also be present in another fic, where her role will be a little bit bigger... but it isn't based on Sonic X, and neither is this.

As one final note, you may want to reread the first chapter. I modified Chapter 1 and it is now of much higher quality. I actually did that a LONG time ago (there are about 31 days or so left), but I never was able to notify you. Well, now you know. I will try to continue adding in more chapters as I type them into Word. I will also work on completing the last few chapters on paper.


	10. Empty Desire

**Dreams of an Absent Mind**

_**Part 2: On the Run**_

_**Chapter 10 – Empty Desire**_

_Darkness covered the world, blotting out light. Demons of ancient pasts torment me. Red mist swallows the light from above. Hatred, contempt, scornfulness. The blackest darkness, the most demonic of creatures. Those deep, blood-filled eyes fill my sight._

"_Find the SEVEN Chaos Emeralds and bring them to me as promised," it proclaimed._

_I gasped out in surprise; spurting, uttering. "I… impossible!" my voiced called out. No one seemed to hear. "Y… you're dead!"_

_The images faded into mist. Shadows lurched up all around. A new face formed. Shark-eyes of green stared me down. A dark creature, full of hatred. Beaten and bruised, tore down, slain by the world… was it, though? A dark reflection, cursing, spitting, mocking… yet it did not seem to be…_

_I gritted my teeth. "Who… who are you?!" I called out. It… was it… me?!_

_The demonic entity laughed out. "You have finally met your fate," its deep voice proclaimed. "My promise is kept, and now, everything fades…"_

_As the last of the words were uttered, everything did fade. Blackness overtook me. I looked around, finding nothing to quench my sight. The light was gone; taken by shadows. Was this what death felt like…? To be forever in the dark, unable to find an escape._

"_Help me!" a voice echoed out._

_See the sea, enter into the light. Children crying, soldiers yelling, gunfire sounding. Blond hair, blue eyes. The face of the forgotten. She leaned down, eyes staring into my own. She held out her hand. "Come with me," she stated._

_I gritted my teeth. Was this really the way? The way to finding the truth? Darkness lingered, threatening my very way. Scared. A scared little child, needing a friend. I looked up. "I… I…"_

_The girl smiled. "Do not be afraid," she stated._

_I nodded my head. Reaching out, I grabbed her hand. She smiled and pulled back._

Shannon pulled herself up to her feet. She gasped out, looking around. This certainly was strange. Where in the world was this…? Brown walls, hardwood flooring, and… dust. Layers and layers of it. Cobwebs hobbled in the corners. Flies buzzed around. She swatted at them, knocking them back.

She did not wish to know what exactly was going on, nor did she wish to find out. That dream was still rather strange, though. It was just so weird, as if she was seeing into someone else's mind… Her hand was still on the windowsill, of which she had thought was that of the young girl. Who was this person…? She didn't know, but that girl did seem… familiar, somehow…

A voice yelled out. Shannon jumped to her feet, startled. She quickly raced over to the wall in front of her, on the window's right. If she guessed correctly, she was in a far corner of the cabin. She did not know what compass direction it was, but the location within the building itself was fairly obvious.

Through the wall, she heard someone talking, but she could not tell who he was talking to. Obviously the person talking was that weasel, Nack—or was his name Fang? Whichever was his real name and whichever was his alias, she did not know, but it was the weasel, nonetheless. Regardless, he kept on chatting about something. Wait, what's this…?

"Hey, hey, don't worry, I told you, I got her and she's safe," he stated. The weasel paused for a moment, but then continued. "Hey, I wouldn't just tell you that, would I? What do you take me for, doc? I'm not usually into this kind of business, but hey, money's money."

Shannon raised an eyebrow. Did he just say… doc…? So a doctor paid him some money to do this… What if it was those people, again? Were they truly THAT desperate?! That one doctor, Dan, was the one who handled her… could he be in on this? He didn't seem all that bad… Wait, he began speaking again.

"What?!" Fang called out, obviously irritated. "Wait, that's just it? You're done? I figured you would've sent one of those robots you're so famous for to come and pick her up…"

The weasel once again paused in his speech. Clearly, he was on the phone with someone—that was all too obvious. "Well, alright then, that's okay, but I figured you'd at least take her off my hands. I have had enough problems with her as is, Egghead, I don't need any more! … Uh huh…Well, thanks for reassuring that much. I would be severely angry with you if you didn't follow up on your word. I shall come for my payment in the morning, but you better get it to me or I will take action! … Uh huh… Yeah, alright, doc, I gotcha."

The sound of a phone being placed down onto a receiver could be hurt. The weasel cursed under his breath, but Shannon could not tell what he said. "Yeah, right, 'I'll get your payment' my ass. I knew I shouldn't have trusted him… that slime-ball is always screwing me over. Still, I have a pretty little prize that could be valuable…"

The weasel snickered, chuckling slightly. Shannon gasped out. _'Wait, what in the world was this all about? "Egghead?" Who was that? Wait a minute…"_ she paused in her thoughts.

The pieces began to fit together. Doctor… Egghead… Eggman… Doctor Eggman? Where that name came from, she had no idea, but she could remember it all too clearly. A mad scientist bent on world domination--that's who he was. What did he want with her, though? She didn't have anything of importance, or at least, not that she knew of… Actually, it seemed that Eggman didn't want her at all… more like… he wanted her out of the way… But why?!

Footsteps echoed through hollow walls. Shannon turned, seeing the knob of the door opening. She quickly rushed back to the far corner of the room, lying down on a small cot that has been sitting there. She didn't really notice it before. It mustn't have crossed her mind, but apparently, she had fallen asleep on the way over here and Fang set her down on this spot.

The door slammed opened. The girl turned back, looking up at the weasel as he entered into the room. "Well what are you up to?" he sneered.

Shannon narrowed her eyes. "I just woke up," she lied, keeping a straight face as she said it. Well, it was partly true…

Fang laughed. "So, girly, you ready to have some fun," he stated, approaching her. The weasel tossed a revolver in his right hand, up and down, showing it off in glorious might.

The girl quickly jumped to her feet, slipping left past the window. "Er, heh, what do you mean by that?" she asked. She backed away, waving her hands and shaking her head in disapproval. "Whatever it is, I don't really want to be apart of it…"

The weasel snickered. "Oh, don't worry, it won't hurt. It'll only be a jiffy. I'll finish this, and then, I shall forever leave you alone…"

Shannon backed away, but soon, she found that she could back no further. She was trapped in a corner, locked in a cell, within his clutches. Fang grabbed her arm. Her voice screamed out. Despite her added height over his own, Fang lifted her up over his shoulder, using both hands to brace her. He carried her out of the room.

The main room wasn't much better than that spare bedroom. Dust, mold, and mildew were rampant. Cobwebs had been spun in empty corners. Save for a single table, the whole place was empty. The kitchen area was vacant of any object. Only two other doors were in here—one leading to another bedroom, and the other to a restroom, but both also seemed to be empty. Clearly, this place had been abandoned long ago.

Eyes shut tight; Shannon could only pray that he wouldn't do anything… drastic. She feared the worst, but something… didn't feel right. Actually, if feeling 'right' in this case was bad, that would have to be good, for it didn't feel like he was doing what she thought he would. The girl quickly opened her eyes to see the door in front of them. Wait, they were going outside…? But… hadn't he only just gotten her here…?

Fang reached over and turned the knob, opening the door wide. Immediately, the weasel was knocked to the ground by an unseen force. Shannon was knocked aside. She felt a slight pain in her ankle, but other than that, she was fine. What in the world was that, anyway?!

The weasel pulled himself up and removed his weapon. He spun around, but saw nothing. Stepping forward, Fang surveyed the area. The door suddenly slammed shut behind him. Fang raised an eyebrow, turning back to face the door again. No one was there.

He narrowed his eyes. "Where are you?" the weasel demanded.

A sly snicker crossed the mystery figures face. "I'm right here!" the voice called out.

The person stopped right behind Fang and reached forward, pulling the weasel's hat over his eyes. Fang shot wildly, but a swift kick sent jolts of pain up his arm, causing him to drop the weapon. A punch from the front then sent him flying backwards, across the room, and into the far wall.

Fang pulled his hat back off his head, looking around. "Wait, are there two of you?!" he asked, surprised.

The figure shook his head, still out of sight from the weasel. "No," he stated, "just one swift one."

The weasel opened his eyes wide. He jumped to his feet, blood boiling. "Ooh, Sonic! What are you doing here? Just my like that I'd see you again…"

Sonic came to a stop directly in front of Fang; sticking out his tongue as the weasel fumed. He chuckled to himself. "Eh, the usual. It's been, what, four years? I was thought you got thrown in prison…"

Fang waved his finger, angrily. "Yeah, by you!" he called out.

Sonic laughed. "Yeah, I remember now… how did you get out, though? Weren't you sentenced to, what was it again? Ten years? Longer? Hmm… not a good predicament for you…"

Shannon gasped out, surveying the scene. Something about that hedgehog made her blood boil, but not out of hatred. She just didn't like the sight of his sly, cocky attitude. He was too immature; always on the run, never worrying about a thing—even when the time called for such worries. Wait, how did she know all this?! Shannon couldn't help but wonder… she'd only seen Sonic once before, yet it was as if she'd known him for years…

The hedgehog tapped his foot on the ground, impatiently. He looked down at his wrist, as if he was checking the time on a watch. He continued tapping, repeatedly, fast as lightning. "I'm wait-ing," he proclaimed, slyly.

Fang sneered. He quickly pulled out a small pistol and fired. Shannon cried out, screaming. "No!" she yelled.

Knees hit the floor. Coughing echoed through the empty building. Reaching for his neck, he tried his best to breath. The other chuckled. "Sorry, creep, but didn't ya' know? Good always wins," Sonic proclaimed; hand wrapped around Fang's neck.

Sonic let go and watched the weasel fall to his knees, breathing in heavily. Fang slammed his fist into the ground. "No!" he called out. "How could I have been beaten so easily?!"

The hedgehog laughed. "Oh, come on, lighten up. It's only six more years 'til you finish your sentence."

Sonic grabbed onto Fang and dragged him to the door. His eyes turned to Shannon, her eyes full of surprise. He began to lift his hand, but something strange crossed his mind. He raised an eyebrow. "Hmm… have I met you before?" he asked. "You seem… familiar, somehow…"

Shannon was stunned by this strange remark. She shook her head. "Well, no, at least, not that I can remember…" she stated.

Sonic angled his head, trying to get a better look. "Hmm… well, I don't ever remember seeing your face, but you do resemble a friend of mine, of sorts. Unfortunately, he died about five months ago, I hear. Sad, but nothing to sneeze at. We never got along that well with each other, but he was a great hero. Of course, though, you couldn't possible have any relation to him, so I don't know why I even brought him up…"

"Well, anyway…" Sonic added, changing the subject, "you coming? I came here to rescue you, but if you don't want to come, you don't have to. It would probably be best, but it's your choice, not mine."

Shannon shook her head. "Ah, er, no thanks…" she stated. "I'll find my own way."

The hedgehog shrugged his shoulders. "Well, suit yourself."

Sonic left the building, dragging Fang along behind him. Shannon stepped into the doorway and watched him leave. So, he noticed a resemblance too, huh? Fang had mentioned something like that before. Perhaps she did have some relation to this guy, after all… but how? Could this person everyone is referring to be this 'Shadow' that keeps popping up everywhere? It was a scary thought…

Shannon shook the thoughts out of her head. No time to think, now, only act. Time was of the essence, and she was running out of time. That place was in the area, right? Well, perhaps something was there…

She nodded her head. _'Yes, that would be the logical place to star—right at the source of this whole entire mess.'_

Her decision made, Shannon quickly rushed off into the jungle. It should only be just up ahead…

* * *

**Author's Note(s)**: Just what was that all about?! Well, read on to find out. Chapter 18 is now complete, and soon, I will work on finishing the revamp of Chapter 11. I definitely won't finish before the SSA starts, but I hope to get close.


	11. Searching for Answers

**Dreams of an Absent Mind**

_**Part 2: On the Run**_

_**Chapter 11 – Searching for Answers**_

The sun blazed brightly down upon the world. High above the world, the light shattered the darkness, ripping it to pieces, tearing it apart. Shadows stretched out, but the light was there to keep company. For Shannon McKenzie, though, the darkness prevailed…

The teenaged girl made her way through the forest. She certainly didn't feel like she was really fifteen years old. She was a little kid—lost and alone in a strange place. However, she pressed on. This was her choice. She had to find the way without help from anyone else. She didn't know where she was going, but she knew that she had to get away—she had to get out.

This forest… so familiar, but why? She turned her head high, peering into the treetops. A world of fantasy and dreams was before her. Her heart lightened. Shannon spun around, looking to the sky. The light of the world shined down, but her burden remained. She stopped, staring on ahead. The trees went on and on and on, forever going, never ending. The depth of the forest was great, but the depths of her mind were greater.

Shannon collapsed to her knees, staring down upon the ground. What good was a world so beautiful without the strength to enjoy it? The human mind was a blur, a black mark upon a beautiful creature. Unique from every other creature—humans and anthros alike—it was amazing in every way, but the mind… the mind is a traitor of its own kind; torturing and mutilating. It was so wonderful, yet so deadly…

She looked onward, leveling her head, staring endlessly. Her memories… her dreams… still unanswered… Why was the government after her? What did they want? Fang, he was employed by someone… what was that guy's name? Egghead? What's an "egghead?" Wasn't that guy supposed to be some sort of doctor? And… that Shadow… who was he, what relation to he have to her? Numerous people have made that comparison… What did it all mean?!

The girl placed her hand on her forehead and looked to the sky. Meaningless, meaningless, all was meaningless… nothing comes together… everything falters… Shannon rose to her feet, staring into the sky. The light of day, shunning darkness… That, too, was meaningless. The light of the world could question the darkness of the world, but it could not reach the darkness of the heart.

She glanced around, trying to find anything worthwhile to turn her eyes on. Nothing… nothing… nothing to give her mind rest, hope, or pleasure… Her blood boiled, rage building up inside. She turned to the sky, lashing out like thunder, screaming, crying. "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!" she yelled out, her voice echoing in the forest.

…the voice of a desperate child was all that could be heard. Everything fell silent. No creature stirred, no birds chirped from the trees, no voices to quench her thirst. It was all dead… dead, dead, dead. She may as well be dead. A lost soul with a broken heart, that's what she was. She needed something, someone to help her, quench her thirsts… Someone that she could talk to, someone to listen to her troubles, something to lift the heavy burden upon her heart… There was no someone, though, there was nothing but despair, the utter emptiness that filled ones heart when nothing left existed. The darkest of entities, the blackest…

"Shannon…" a voice whispered.

Shannon stumbled back in surprise. "Wh… what?! Who's there?"

The voice called out again, more forceful, exerting… "Shannon!" it called out.

The girl dashed on ahead, racing with all her might. Many more voices echoed out in the sky. The light faded. Shannon spun, eyes dazed... Confusing, haunting… Her foot hit something sticking up out of the ground. Tripping, she fell to her knees. A rumbling sounded in the distance. Head lowered, tears fell to the ground as water poured down from the sky, soaking her clothes.

She turned her head back up, sniffling. "I must be in hell…" she told herself.

A flash of light streaked the sky. Beams of electric charges surged, creating a magnificent wonder to behold. A roaring noise boomed in the sky, echoing across the world below. The rain waters pour down, rushing through the wet grass, forming particles of sand into mud and clay.

Darting ahead, Shannon found cover beneath the branches of a tall, thick oak tree. Layers and layers of leaves and brush caught up in it kept most of the water from reaching her. She leaned back against the trunk, thinking over everything that had happened. It was such a terrible fate to face. All her trials and all her tribulations… and for what? What?!

As she thought, her mind collapsed onto the utter brink of chaos. Traveling so far, captured, freed… and now left to die in a cold pit of despair. _'What have I done do deserve this misery…?'_ she asked herself.

Curling up, she tried to find the most comfortable position to warm herself. It was the middle of the afternoon, yet she felt as if it was the middle of the night. Passing in and out, eyes open and shut. Her mind wavered, but she welcomed it. The grips of unconsciousness became to take over. The stressfulness of her thoughts loosened. She felt the weariness overcoming her mind.

Finally, it took hold. Her eyes shut tightly; mind at ease. A shadow passed over her. "Well look at what we have here," the figure proclaimed. Shannon did not hear. Instead, she let the world fade as the dreams took hold.


	12. A New Friend

**Dreams of an Absent Mind**

_**Part 3**_

_**Chapter 12 – A New Friend**_

The girl rolled over, finding comfort in the warmth. A blanket was wrapped around her. He head lay on soft pillows, keeping her cozy as she slept. Wait, what? She was in the middle of a forest, in the rain... where did she get…?

Shannon's eyes shot open. She stared into the back of a softly cushioned couch. Carefully woven green fabric, filled with light cotton, lay before her. From beneath where her head had laid, she pulled out a feather pillow. It was soft to the touch and nursed her weariness wonderfully as she lay upon it.

She quickly turned, scouring the room. Green carpeting was laid out on the floor. A small television set was up against the far wall, in the right corner. On the opposite side of the same wall, a door led into a separate room. The carpeting followed.

The walls of this building were built from completely untrimmed tree logs. Plaster painted with a brown complexion was placed between them. The logs were typical oak logs from any everyday tree, but they seemed to be finely polished. A chair sat to her right, up against the wall, and behind her, a wooden divider went up halfway, while the rest of the way, wooden bars stretched out to the ceiling, about eight inches apart.

Shannon slipped off of the sofa and got to her feet. Strangely, she suddenly felt something was missing… Wait... her clothes! The girl felt across her body, every inch of it. Why, she was completely dry! Out of that rain, her clothes had soaked severely. Looking down upon herself, she quickly realized that these WEREN'T her clothes. Her clothes—the cheap outfit she got from that thrift store in the depths of Station Square—had been replaced with finer clothing. It was a little tight on her, but other than that, it fit alright.

Hmm… something about this place seemed familiar. What was it about it? Shaking the thoughts out of her head, she ignored the change in clothing and simply decided to search the house. The next room would do for a start. Heading into the doorway up against the wall opposite the sofa, she saw what was undoubtedly the Master Bedroom. The way it looked, it was a lady's room.

The walls were filled with little knickknacks and trinkets. The bed was covered with fine sheets and a thick comforter. Everything was a light lavender color, along with some pink added in. Hearts also appeared in many places. The walls had shelves spread out with various trophies and souvenirs, as well as pictures. At the end of the room and on the left, there was a door.

Entering through this new door, she found a large closet filled with women's accessories and clothing. Purple and black appeared frequently, undoubtedly a favorite. Shannon found a purple jumpsuit with pink trimming around the wrists. A heart-shaped buckle; trimmed with white and filled with pink, was wrapped around the waist and stomach area. The legs extended downward and stopped—the bottom laced with a white cuff. Above this outfit, on the shelving unit, a matching pair of boots stretched up far enough to reach the knees, cuffed with a pink color about the same as the wrist cuffs on the jumpsuit.

In another, there was a thin, black, two-piece gymnastics outfit with white hearts on the legs. The top was very small—merely covering the breast area with openings for the arms to go through. Above the outfit, like with the jumpsuit before, a pair of tennis shoes—striped with pink and white—lay on the shelf. This time the color of the shoes did not match the outfit, but the clear intent of these shoes was to be paired with the outfit.

Shannon continued to look through the rows and rows of outfits, wondering how someone could afford all of this. At the end, though, something caught her eye. Numerous amounts of outfits, all containing the exact same size and design, hung from the rack. Likewise with past outfits, each had a matching pair of shoes—or, in this case, boots—and each of these boots were exactly the same as each other.

This startled her for a second, but then something came to her mind. "Wait a second…" she stated. "I've seen this somewhere before…"

"You have indeed," a voice stated from behind.

Shannon quickly turned around in surprise. "Wait, it's you!" she called out, staring at her captor and backing away. "Who are you, and what do you want with me?!"

The woman chuckled to herself. She was a good head shorter than Shannon, but her age definitely exceeded Shannon's own. The woman approached, wearing the exact same outfit that Shannon had just seen. "Hey, hey, hey, that's prejudice, you know. You don't even know me, yet."

The person held out her hand. "Shannon, am I correct?" she asked.

Shannon nodded, but did not hold out her hand. She was unwillingly to, or at least, not yet..."Yes, I am," she stated. "I see you know me."

The woman nodded. "Yes. I have heard so much about you," she stated.

She once again held out her hand, beckoning to Shannon. "Hey, come on, why don't we talk. I've cooked some dinner if you want some. We can sit in the dining room, eat, and talk about things. You interested?"

The girl was interested. She hadn't eaten anything in days—ever since the incident back at the hospital. Before that, she couldn't recall the taste of food at all. Shannon still didn't trust this bat, but her hunger said otherwise. "Actually, I'm starving…" she stated at last.

The bat held out her hand, again. "Well, then, right this way," she proclaimed.

Shannon nodded, grabbing the woman's hand. The bat turned to leave, but then she decided to face Shannon. "Oh, and before we go, allow me to introduce myself," she proclaimed. "I'm Rouge the Bat, but better known as the world famous treasure hunter, Rouge…"

'_World famous treasure hunter, huh?'_ Shannon thought. Maybe she was, but those eyes looked suspicious… _'Well, then, I'll see if you are truly friend or foe…'_ the girl told herself.

**_XXXXX_**

****"And that's how I got my first big case," Rouge proclaimed.

Shannon smiled. "Wow, that's amazing…" she proclaimed.

The bat nodded. "Yeah. Talk about the wretch I was. If it wasn't for GUN catching me, I'd still be that way today."

The girl nodded in reply. Rouge, on the other hand, lifted her hand up to her face. "Speaking of 'amazing,' you polished off a whole bowl of that spaghetti already? When's the last time you got any FOOD in your diet, girl?"

The girl chuckled out. "Well, I haven't eaten anything in days…" she proclaimed. "Plus, before that, I don't remember the last time I ate, but… wasn't it at least five months? That's a long time…"

Rouge nodded. "Yeah, I get what you're saying. I had to get rid of it, anyway. I hardly come here that often, anymore, so this was the perfect opportunity to use it up."

Shannon nodded in reply. "Heh, I guess I was the perfect opportunity, then, huh?" she asked. Pausing for a moment, she looked back up again. "Well, do you got any more? My stomach is still aching for something… that stuff's pretty good. What'd you call it, again?"

Rouge had been getting up out of her seat, but she stopped. She tried to speak, but before she could, she turned her head down, covering her mouth with her hand. She started… coughing. "Uh, is there something wrong…?" Shannon asked.

The bat shook her head. Rouge turned her head back out, giggling slightly. "No, nothing's wrong, it's just that… you've never heard of spaghetti before?! It's common around here—a pastime favorite! I just can't believe that…"

Shannon lowered her head, sighing. "You don't have to bring it up," she stated, solemnly.

A questioned look crossed the bat's face. Then it hit her. She slapped her hand across her face. "Oh, ugh, I'm so dense," she stated. "Heh, yeah, memory thing, I get it… heh, sorry…"

The girl shook her head, brushing her hand up across her head and through her hair. "No, no, it's not your fault…" she stated. "It's just that… oh, I don't know…"

Rouge nodded her head. She turned around and heading to the kitchen area nearby. "Well, alright. I'll go grab that, and…"

Shannon placed her hand on Rouge's and the bat stopped. "No, don't," the girl stated. She stood up, facing the bat. "Actually, can we go and talk…?" she asked.

Rouge nodded, again. "Alright, then," she stated.

The house was actually rather small. It only had two bedrooms, a living room, a bathroom, a kitchen, a dining room, and a utility room. Well, okay, so that sounded big, but the size of the rooms… that was another story. Whatever the case, the dining room, where they currently were, was right in front of the door upon walking into the house, and the living room and kitchen were both to the right upon walking in, but separated by a wall. Behind the kitchen was a small utility closet with various things, including both a washer and a dryer.

On the opposite side of the house, a hallway went back into the depths behind the dining room. Here, there were two doors. One door went left into another bedroom, while the other went right into a restroom—the only restroom in the house. Other than that, there really wasn't much else here to see. A stairwell led down to the front door beside the wooden divider Shannon had seen earlier, various items hung from the walls—undoubtedly trophies and treasures Rouge had found and received over the years, and lastly, a glass sliding door opened up behind the dining room area and onto a balcony overlooking the forest below. This place was clearly built somewhere up in the mountains…

Shannon sat down onto the sofa while Rouge slipped into a soft chair. The bat propped herself up and then simply stared directly at the girl. "So, then, what is it that you wanted to talk about?" she asked.

Shannon closed her eyes and sighed. "It's… it's about this Shadow," she stated, opening her eyes again. "His name keeps popping into my head. I can't figure out what is going on. You seem to know him, so please, tell me… who is he, and… and what happened to him? I need to know…"

Rouge looked up, in surprise. "Shadow?" she asked. _'Hmm… so she does know about Shadow…'_ she thought to herself. A sly grin crossed her face, but Shannon wasn't looking. _'This will do excellently.'_

At last, the bat nodded in reply. "Yeah, Shadow… he's actually a good friend of mine. He disappeared about five months ago. About a week after he left, we found you in the near vicinity, so that got me thinking… maybe he interacted with you at some point during the mission. Despite what everyone else says, I don't believe he's dead… at least not until I know for sure."

Shannon shook her head, much to Rouge's surprise. "No, no, that's not what I meant, but thanks for telling me. What I really want to know, though, is what he looks like, the way he talks, his past… I've already had a few people compare me to him and I don't even know who the hell he is! I've seen him in dreams, but I don't know if that's this 'Shadow' or even if it is what he truly looks like…"

Rouge raised an eyebrow, staring down upon Shannon. The instant she heard that one thing, she lost all focus. She simply stared, unblinking, watching the girl's mouth move, but not hearing… It seemed as if time slowed to a crawl. Shadow, the black hedgehog, the ultimate life-form… Shannon, the teenage girl, a lost kid without any memory of herself… They looked nothing alike, and yet… something did seem familiar…

Shannon had long black hair. Shadow's fur color was pitch black, but so was Shannon's. Shadow also had red streaks. Shannon did not, or so it... wait a second, she did! Rouge noticed the faint outlines of red streaks running through the girl's hair, something the bat had never noticed before. Red was a rare eye color, but both Shadow and Shannon had it. Both of them also had similar names. Of course it was probably just a coincidence, but Shannon could've mistaken the name quite easily.

Internet fan girls often depicted various legendary heroes in strange ways, Shadow include. He's been pictured as a human and even as a girl many times. The most common name was generally "Silhouette," but Shannon was closer in pronunciation and spelling. The only advantage Silhouette had was that it portrayed something similar to that of Shadow. If something had happened to Shadow, perhaps a genetic manipulation of some kind, could this be…? Truly…?

Rouge suddenly snapped out of it. She looked away, shaking the thoughts out of her head. No, of course it wasn't. It was impossible. Shannon was just a little girl—well, at least, she sure seemed like one, despite her age… Wait, what? Oh, yes, Shannon was just a girl that coincidentally resembled Shadow. Still, though, who was she… and how DID she know—"

Shannon looked up and the bat's strange expression. Something was weird about this whole thing. A light beeping noise came out of nowhere. "Something wrong?" the girl asked.

The bat stood up and walked away, pulling a little object out of her pocket. She flipped it open and put it up against her head. "Hello?" she asked.

Shannon watched Rouge go through this procedure. Wait, wasn't that thing called a "phone?"

Rouge nodded her head. "Uh-huh…" she stated. She paused, and then continued. "Yeah… So you want something from this place? … Uh-huh… Station Square Crime Lab? Couldn't we just ask them for this information?" the bat sighed. "All right, then, I'll be there in a jiffy… Meet you afterwards? … Gotcha."

The bat slipped the "phone" away and walked out of the living room, turning to the stairs that led down to the door. She glanced back beforehand, though, turning to Shannon. "I've got to go out for a while. You can sleep here for the night. Please, though, just don't go anywhere. If you need anything—perhaps a change of clothes, or some food, then use it. I should be back by morning."

The girl nodded in reply. "Thank you," she said.

Rouge left the house. The rain had slowed, but it was going to pick up again later. Shannon could feel it. How? She didn't know, but she just knew. Something else was on her mind, though. She lowered her head, facing the ground, staring blankly. _'Just what was that all about? Something's not right here…'_ she told herself.

* * *

**Author's Note(s)**: Quite frankly, I felt the need to comment on this chapter. Truly, I'm VERY mixed about it. On one hand, I like the originality of it. It's trying to depict a realistic conversation, and quite frankly, I could use some practice with that. On the other hand, it's so damn corny that it annoys me to hell.

In other news, SSA starts Friday and I'm not close to being done with this. Well, okay, I AM, but I'm not close to finishing the final drafts of all chapters. I have not started Chapter 13 yet, though I will try starting it tonight/tomorrow, but luckily for me, the next few chapters should go by quick. Bad for me is that I intend on getting farther in Final Fantasy X-2 before I return it (I rented the game), leaving me without a lot of time. I should've just waited, but I needed a break from all that recent stress I've built up... Anyway, that's the deal right now. Deal with it.


	13. Listening and Waiting

**Dreams of an Absent Mind**

_**Part 3: A New Friend**_

_**Chapter 13 – Listening and Waiting**_

Rouge had been gone for hours. Though she felt a little bit better after that chat earlier, Shannon still didn't feel that she could trust that batgirl. Still, something inside stated that it would be alright. Where that feeling came from, she did not know, but she intended to find out.

This was quite a nice place. Actually, it seemed somehow familiar… had she been here before? Well, if she had been here, Rouge certainly didn't know about it. Speaking of which, where did that bat go, anyway? She got a call, and then just left…

She shook the thoughts out of her head. That mattered not. It was Rouge's business, not hers. Rouge did work for the government, didn't she? That could explain it quite easily… Still, why would the government ask her to break into a government facility? It didn't make sense…

Shannon sat up and looked around. _'Wait, the place does seem familiar…'_ she told herself, forgetting about the subject at hand. Another thought came to her mind. _'Wait a second, could Shadow have known about it?! Maybe he brought me here…'_ But if that was the case, then why did he do it…?

Oh, this was just all so confusing, a garbled mess of chaos… The pieces of the puzzle were coming together, but many were still missing. Without them, Shannon knew that she could not fit everything into place. There had to be something around here… Surely Rouge had something, anything! Well, what about the computer? There was one in the far corner of the dining room…

The girl quickly dashed across the room. A wooden desk made of oak sat up against the back wall. It was a few away from the sliding door that led onto the back patio and lay about a foot from the left wall. The computer was on, but the monitor was off. How did these things work, again…?

She nodded her head and pushed a small button in the lower-right corner of the monitor. The screen shot on, blinding her in the dark room. She only just realized how dark it truly was in here. How late was it?! None of the lights were on in the house because daylight was still out, but now, it suddenly seemed so dark… Shannon never noticed it before, but now it became glaringly obvious.

She shook her head. _'Are you afraid of the dark?'_ she told herself. _'Snap out of it!'_

Eager to get on with this, she quickly pressed a key on the keyboard. A message popped up. "Enter screensaver password," she read.

Hmm…? Password? She gritted her teeth, slapping herself on the forehead. _'Well, duh, why WOULDN'T she include a password?! It's such an idiocy to think that I could really do this…'_

Hmm… but still… it may be interesting. Wait, what? …Maria? Who was Maria? Was that the password? Why would Rouge use that name, anyway?! Maybe this girl had some relation to Shadow… or worse, what if this girl had some relationship to herself…

Shannon shook the thoughts out of her head. Still, though, could she…? Rouge never did say that she was looking for Shadow, did she? The bat had mentioned Shadow, but what if she was truly looking for this "Maria?" Hmm…

'_What am I doing?'_ she asked herself. _'It's no use trying to put things together just yet. I have to figure out what this is all about!'_

She turned to the keyboard again, finding what she need. "M," she stated, pressing the key. A little asterisk appeared in the text bar. "A, R, I..." she added. As she spoke, she hit the appropriate key, and for each key pressed, another asterisk appeared. At last, she concluded it. "A. That spells Maria. Well, if this is truly it, then here goes…"

Shannon pressed the enter key. Another message appeared and she read it. "Password confirmed," it stated. The screensaver dropped, and now, Shannon had a clear view of the desktop. A huge "G" logo consisted of the wallpapers. Files and folders with strange names were on the desktop, many of which appeared to be classified information.

The girl gasped out. "This is her work computer," she proclaimed.

Shannon paused, staring at it for a few seconds. She gazed into it, staring into the various files. Project: Shadow, The Truth About Fifty Years Ago, Chaos Force, Eclipse Cannon, Solaris, Chaos Emeralds, The Chaotix Detective Agency, Angel Island, Master Emerald, Project Gizoid, Professor Gerald, U.F. Government, Dr. Eggman, Convicted Felons, Fang the Sniper, and… Shannon McKenzie… All of that was only a mere fragment of everything that was enclosed here. All of this was very, very confidential information… and yet, she remembered it… Well, not every word, but the names seemed vaguely familiar…

She wanted to continue, she wanted to read into what the bat had written. All of this information, enclosed here, and in the palm of her hand. Shannon was especially interested in what Rouge had written about her. That folder, Shannon McKenzie, was HER name… clearly, Rouge knew more than she revealed, but never said anything… What secrets could lay here? Could the truth be only a click away…?

Shannon was tempted. Her hand on mouse, cursor over the file, she was ready to open it. This was it, her big chance… but something didn't feel right… _'No, don't think that way! Listen to yourself! You want to know the truth, don't you?'_ Yes, it was true, every word, but…

She stared at the screen. At last, her decision was made. She lifted her hand off of the mouse and quickly reached down to the actual computer system below, pressing her finger hard up against the power button. She sat back, relieved. _'I may have cost myself the greatest thing I could've ever wished for in my life, but it would have also been the greatest mistake I ever made… I have to find the truth on my own time. This information is not mine to know…'_ she told herself.

**_XXXXX_**

Rouge the Bat gazed up upon the building. It was evening now and darkness began to creep up upon the world. Above the entryway, in large letters, the words "Central City Crime Lab" were etched into the marble arch. The placed seemed rather empty, but she wasn't in the mood for taking chances.

Jumping into the air, Rouge flew upwards and flipped forward; landing graciously on the top of the building. She dashed ahead and noticed a rounded object sticking out of the roof of the building. Swinging a swift kick, the ventilation cap was sliced clean off. Dashing ahead, she dived forward down into it. Despite the size of the shaft, her slim body was able to slip through with ease.

Edging down through with her arms on either side of the shaft, Rouge made her way as quietly as she possibly could. Soon, she reached the bottom. Here the shaft split into two directions horizontally while the vertical positioning ending. She climbed down and clung to the edge, crawling over the corner and onto the roof of the horizontal shaft below. She twisted her body back to a normal position and quickly made her way forward.

Having already been here before, she knew the place like the back of her hand. The room she was to enter was the squad leader's main office at the back of the building, straight down from the entrance. He shouldn't be in, right now, but others might be out and about, so she would have to stay cautious.

Voices echoed in the hallway. Rouge could hear them, but she could not see them. Wait, there was a light up ahead, emanating from the bottom of the shaft. She crawled forward and peeked out. She heard a women's laugh. A man called out and the women giggled to herself. "Yes, sir, of course," she proclaimed.

A woman then passed beneath the batgirl, quickly disappearing from her line of site. Rouge guessed that she must've been the same woman. It was fairly obvious. What was she talking about, though? Hmm… wait, wasn't that room just ahead? Ah, they must've just been leaving… it seemed that he probably wasn't gone as she had been told, but it would still turn out well for her. They were just leaving as she was getting here.

Rouge pulled out a small screwdriver she had hidden away in her pocket. She unscrewed the bolts on the vent and pulled it up. Peeking through, she saw no one in sight. Nodding to herself, she slipped through the opening and pulled the vent back down into placed. Clever… screwing the vents on the INSIDE instead of the outside… or was it truly all that clever at all?

Well, then, that was pretty easy. She got in, avoided all the guards, and got straight to the objective point, all in the nick of time. "Heh, Rouge, you are so clever!" she told herself, slyly, slowly making her way forward. She reached for the door handle. "Now to get that dat--"

The door swung open. Rouge backed away in surprise. "Wh… what?!" well, so much for that…

A man peeked his head out of the door. "Agent Rouge, I presume?" he asked, slyly.

Rouge lowered her head. "Y… yes?"

He snickered. "I am Inspector Chase Bertrang. I've been expecting you…"


	14. Rouge's Research

**Dreams of an Absent Mind**

_**Part 2: A New Friend**_

_**Chapter 14 – Rouge's Research**_

Well, this certainly wasn't part of the plan. First she was sneaking into a top-secret facility, and now… now she was sitting across from the chief inspector… being served coffee… Such strange occurrences, indeed…

The man grinned broadly. He lifted his glass up to his mouth and took a sip. His eyes turned to Rouge; still suspicious of what was going on. No matter, though, he would fix that. "So, then, what is it that a fine young woman such as yourself as come here on this gallant evening, just to see me?"

Rouge held her gaze. "I did not come to see you," she stated.

The man laughed. He placed his glass back down onto the desk. "Ah, I see. Then, if that is the case, who is it that you wish to see?" he asked, slyly.

The bat sighed. Now it was time to get straight to the point. She stared directly into his eyes. "Who are you, and… how did you know that I was coming?"

His grin widened. He burst into laughter. "Ah, so you truly are all that suspicious of me, 'eh? You needn't worry about a thing—I'm on your side."

The man lifted his hand over his chest. "I have direct orders from Commander Stryker himself to tell you what you may ask."

Rouge's eyes opened wide. "Wait, what…?" she asked, greatly surprised by his statement.

Chase nodded. "Exactly as I have just told you is what I mean. I have heard from the Commander that you would be here this night. He did not tell me what you wanted, but did tell me to have you report back directly to him first thing in the morning and tell him what I tell you tonight. However, remember that I cannot tell you absolutely everything. Some of what I know is so confidential that not even the President may know about it at this time."

Rouge nodded in reply. "Yes, of course," she stated.

The inspector clasped his hands together. "Good, good. Now that we are in agreement, we may begin. So, what did you wish to ask of me?"

Rouge closed her eyes. Only one thing was on her mind right now. Did he know what she needed to know? Could he even reveal it to her? Well, whatever it was, she would have to find out.

At last, she opened her eyes ones again, a serious expression revealing itself on her face. "I only want to know one thing and one thing only…" she hesitated for a moment, but then the words came from her mouth. "What do you know about a girl by the name of Shannon McKenzie?"

Chase raised his eyebrows. His sarcasm, humorous antics, and sly expressions all vanished in an instance. Well that certainly got his attention! His body leaned forward, seemingly involuntarily yet still voluntarily. "Shannon McKenzie, you say…?"

His moment of surprise vanished as quickly as it had come. He leaned back in his chair. "Ah, yes, Shannon McKenzie," he stated. The man got up from his seat and walked over to a nearby filing cabinet in the corner. He dug through it and pulled out a file, likely the same file that Rouge herself had come to find.

"An interesting case," Inspector Bertrang stated out loud. He walked back over to the desk and slammed the folder down. "Never truly solved, as I recall. Why do you wish to know about Shannon, anyway?"

Rouge nodded, opening her mouth. "I think that she may have some link to the disappearance of someone else—namely, a friend of mine. I'm curious as to if she may have interacted with him sometime before his disappearance. Only problem is, she's come down with amnesia and I can't get any—"

Chase turned his head, curiously. "Amnesia? How's that possible?"

The bat was frustrated, but kept at it. "You know about amnesia, correct? Well, Shannon had fallen from a—"

He raised his hand, shaking his head. "No, no, that's not what I mean at all," he proclaimed. "So this is what it's all about, isn't it? All these secrets, G.U.N.'s recent activity? You've been trying to find anything you can about this girl to find your missing agent?"

Rouge nodded in reply. She went to say something else, but he quickly interrupted her again. "Well, then, can I share some very important news with you? The part of the story that you never heard?"

The bat looked surprised. Inspector Bertrang continued. "I have no idea whom this girl is that you have found, but whoever she is, she certainly isn't Shannon McKenzie." He quickly opened his folder and pulled out a small picture, it's back turned to Rouge. The bat's surprise was heightened even further by this latest tidbit. _'Ooh,'_ the inspector reasoned, _'she hasn't heard anything yet…'_

He nodded his head, completing his statement. "Rouge, I regret to inform you that Shannon McKenzie… is dead…"

Her mouth opened wide, slamming her hands on the desk. "N… no way! It can't be…"

Chase chuckled to himself. "Oh, but it is. She died five months ago. Her accident was very real. Here," he handed her the picture. "Use this as a reference. This is what the real Shannon looked like."

Rouge nodded to herself. She stared blankly, taking in it all. Now with the picture of the REAL Shannon in her grasps, it became all too clear. The horrible truth was now finally confirmed. _'But if this girl isn't Shannon… then just who IS she?'_ Rouge asked herself.

_In this world of nothingness, I will find the truth_

_Searching for the answers, I can never lose_

_Know that I won't follow your foolish ways_

_Watch me as I show you my true place_

_But is this the way that has been set apart for me?_

_Pretending to know everything, I fail to see_

_Blinded by darkness, I could not see the light_

_Oh, that glorious light shining so bright_

_I see the light…_

_Yes, I see the light…_

_Oh, I see the light, breaking out, taking down_

_Yes, I see the light!_

_Oh, I see the light…_

_Yes, I see the light…_

_I see the light, shining down, splitting the dark_

_Oh, I see the light, but…_

_But the light does not see me_

Rumbling echoed in the night sky. White light flashed, then nothing. Water poured down from the heavens. A beam of electrical energy struck a cliff, sending a few stones tumbling down. A loud crack boomed high above the world. Another bolt of lightning struck and another booming noise echoed out.

Shannon's eyes shot open. She sat up, glancing around. Everything had grown so dark… she looked upon the living room of Rouge's country cabin. She turned to the window, seeing the rain waters pour down and the flashing lights. More rumbling echoed out.

She breathed in a sigh of relief. _'It's only a thunderstorm, why am I so jumpy?_' she asked herself.

Well, it was true; it was only a thunderstorm… Hmm, it looked like it was coming down pretty hard now, but it wouldn't last much longer. A couple hours and it would pass away… Wait, what?!

Shannon opened her eyes wide. She hung her legs off of the couch. Slipping off, carefully, she stood to her feet and walked between the chair Rouge was sitting in earlier and the couch, placing her hands up against the window. She gazed outside for a second, but then closed her eyes. _'None of this makes any sense…'_ she thought to herself.

No, it doesn't. How did this knowledge come to her all of a sudden? It didn't seem like a sort of spooky fortune telling thing. Ooh, an amnesiac teenage girl can tell the future! Right… NOT. Still, though, what did it mean? …Chaos… The name sounded familiar, but just what does it mean?

Her eyes slid open, but she found herself looking straight down. She lifted her head back a bit, but then hit the window with it. _'Just what does it all mean? That is the question… it is the question of the day, and no one seems to be able to answer it…'_

She backed up a bit; lifting her head and staring out into the night. Hmm… Rouge should've been back by now, shouldn't she? Where is that woman? And what does this all mean?! She sighed, again, looking out. "Oh, please help me to understand!" she called out, speaking to no one in particular.

* * *

**Author's Note(s)**: Phew, as promised, I got another two chapters up. Don't expect the next ones to come that quickly, but I hope to get them ready soon.

Anyway, so, the plot thickens... So apparently "Shannon" isn't really Shannon, but in that case, just WHO is she? Well, read on to find out...

About that song, "I See the Light," it is copyright to... UltimaHedgie! Yes, it was written by me. No wonder why it was so crappy, 'eh? Actually, I wrote it up as the theme song of Hannah Swift, so you'll see it popping up around here fairly soon. I may make a few further modifications to make it better, but I DO have the full song written (of which the above is merely an excerpt).


	15. Uncovered Mysteries

**Dreams of an Absent Mind**

_**Part 3: A New Friend**_

_**Chapter 15 – Uncovered Mysteries**_

The streets of Station Square lay desolate at this late hour. Rains poured heavily down from the sky, splattering onto the ground. The front windshield wipers were working overtime trying to keep the water out of the way. Swaying back and forth, left and right, they pushed away the waters, washing them down the sides of the car.

For a woman of her reputation, she didn't feel so hot right now. Rouge could only think of what a fool she was. All this work, and for what…? Nothing! She got this far, so close to the truth, only to have it all shattered in an instant. _'I'd make a horrible detective, that's for sure…'_ she thought to herself.

Oh yeah, Commander William may have taken the credit for this whole thing initially, but the whole thing was HER observation. It was HER idea, HER case, and the instant he learns of HER big screw-up, she wouldn't last five seconds longer as an agent. "I'll probably end up thieving again just to make a living…" she muttered to herself.

Rouge sighed. "Well, it's probably about time for me to head back to G.U.N. HQ and report the bad news…" They did ask her to head back there afterwards, anyway.

G.U.N., an acronym for "Guardian Units of the Nation," was the main military power in the United Federation. While the main base was actually isolated northeast of Central City in the mountains, the corporate headquarters was located directly in the capital. Heh, for all she knew, they had found out before hand and set her up…

She nodded her head. _'Yes, I suppose I must,'_ she told herself.

Central City actually wasn't that far away from Station Square. It was about eleven miles, so it was relatively close, but Station Square was still too far from the city to be considered a suburb. Actually, the capital was quite unusual for most cities as it really didn't HAVE any suburbs. The outskirts of the city were generally considered "The Suburbs" of Central City. Regardless, the city was north by northwest of Station Square. G.U.N. HQ was just within city limits.

The rustic road was relatively straight-forward, but there were some twists and turns here and there. Central Bay could be seen in the distance; a couple miles from the main road. The area was mostly open plains, but up ahead, the forests of the Mystic Jungle began to appear. Central City was hidden amidst these woods, while Westopolis was located much further northwest of the capital.

The rain had since stopped as Rouge was driving down the road. A thought suddenly occurred to her. If that girl wasn't Shannon, then who was she? The resemblance to Shadow was interesting, but it was impossible for it to be. However, what if this girl had her hair dyed that color? It was a possibility… after that was done with the only thing left would be the eyes...

Rouge had seen pictures that Shadow had found on the Ark on another expedition. She had also seen some in the G.U.N. profiles. What if… what if, just maybe, "Shannon" originally had blonde hair, then dyed it black and streaked it with red. If she had then gotten, say, red-tinted contact lenses… That would cover up her blue eyes! If those were removed, wouldn't the girl look… look just like Maria…?

She pulled to a complete stop. The face was perfect. Shannon's face was almost identical to that of Maria's. If she had somehow survived—perhaps she wasn't dead after the gunshot and was placed into a suspended animation, maybe even losing her memory or part of it later, she somehow was released and had since been out and about. Or maybe she didn't lose her memory… until that moment, of course. That wouldn't explain why she started mimicking Shadow's appearance, though. As Rouge recalled, Maria wasn't like that.

It was possible that Maria did lose her memory sometime after that, or even during, the suspended animation, and then gained an obsession of Shadow later on. Perhaps someone adopted her? That was easily explainable. Maria was freed but had lost her memory, she was adopted, and then when seeing Shadow, that triggered something inside of her and she started mimicking him. Shadow ran into her during his mission, they were attacked, and Shadow fought to protect her. Shadow fell first, and then Maria came after. However, if this was the case, then what happened to Shadow?!

Rouge narrowed her eyes. Now it made sense. So, "Shannon McKenzie" really didn't have anything to do with this entire thing at all. It was all just a big coincidence. She nodded her head, smiling. _'Yes, now I see how it happened…'_ she told herself. _'I've got to get to Central City!'_

Determined, she started up her vehicle again. Driving forward, she went ahead full-force. The cover of trees passed overhead. The view of the bay vanished. Water splashed from wet roadways as the tires squealed in delight. Soon, the forests spread out, revealing the bright lights of the United Federation capital, Central City.

Rouge drove a little longer until finding her destination. A tall grey building stood at the corner of Station Square—the road she was currently on—and Main Street. The White House was located a few blocks east of here on the corner of Main Street and Capital Drive.

She stopped a good ten feet from the corner directly across from G.U.N. Headquarters. Climbing out, she turned down and stared and the vehicle. She never thought that she'd need one before, but unlike others like Sonic or Shadow, she couldn't simply "run" everywhere she wanted to go. She also didn't have any special powers like Chaos Control or other things like that. Well, since she needed a vehicle, anyway, she had it customized to resemble a bat. In fact, she purposely did this to show off her wealth.

Moving forward, she crossed the street and to the building, opening the door. Marching inside, she hadn't taken a few steps in before being greeted by a familiar face. "Ah, Rouge, I've been expecting you," William proclaimed.

Rouge nodded. "Commander, you'll never believe—"

William chuckled. "Oh, I'll believe it," he stated. "We already know what you have just learned. Come, there is a matter that we must attend to…"

The bat gasped out in surprise. The Commander paid no heed, though. He had already turned his back to her and started walking. Wait, so, this was it…? _'I was right the first time,'_ she told herself. _'It was all just a set-up.'_

Sighing, Rouge followed behind. He went directly to his personal office—not a good sign for her. William sat down in a large chair on the other side of his desk. He held out his hand. "Please, sit," he stated, motioning toward a chair a little ways away.

Rouge nodded her head and sat down. The Commander immediately opened his mouth. "As you know," he stated, "GUN is a mostly military-based organization. As you also know, when other branches of lower law enforcement cannot handle a case on their own, we are allowed to intercept, do you agree?"

The bat nodded. "Yes," she stated, "it is heavily stressed in our training courses."

Commander Stryker nodded his head. "That is correct," he stated. "As you must also know, we are not allowed to pick up a case without proper credentials…"

'_Oh boy,'_ Rouge thought to herself.

William continued. "This case has been out of code as it is based entirely on a 'hunch.' That does not consist of 'proper credentials.' It is plain foolishness."

Rouge jumped to her feet. "But I—"

He raised his hand. "Sit down. I'm not finished yet."

The bat reluctantly sat back down. William stared at her, awkwardly. "When a case is found to involve G.U.N. Personnel—as a victim, that is—we are allowed to intercept a case if it has already been closed by the lower party so long as we follow the correct codes of conduct."

Rouge stared, blankly. "Meaning…?" she asked, impatient.

The commander chuckled slightly. "This case has now officially passed into our hands with some new evidence brought to us."

That bat gasped out in surprise. "Wait a second, what are you saying?! Have you found out what happened to him?"

He nodded. "What I'm saying is, we have just about solved this case."

Immediately, the door opened behind her. The commander glanced up. "Ah, yes, Lieutenant Johnson, just in time."

Rouge glanced back, surprised. She gritted her teeth. "Lieutenant? Where have you been? You disappeared on me last night…"

Lieutenant Gregory Johnson nodded in reply. "Well, I had found some evidence on the seen, apparently left behind by the 'girl.' I brought it to the crime lab to see if we could get anything out of it. While the objects in question were drenched in sweat, it wasn't enough to get a proper fix. However, then we found some blood on the jacket—the one belonging to Miss Higgins, am I correct?"

Rouge nodded. "Yes, I had it planted. I was curious where she left it… I had hoped to get it back."

Greg nodded again. "Of course, she can have it back when we're through with it. Anyway, with that DNA sample, we were able to figure out exactly who this girl really is, and you're not going to believe it…"

She stared at the man, awkwardly. "Well, then, who is she?" Rouge asked.

Greg chuckled, again. "A survivor of the Ark Incident fifty years ago," he proclaimed.

A grin crossed Rouge's face. _'I knew it!'_ she told herself.

* * *

**Author's Note(s)**: All I can say is... I hope it's good.


	16. Awaiting Truths

**Dreams of an Absent Mind**

_**Part 3: A New Friend**_

_**Chapter 16 – Awaiting Truths**_

Shannon leaned up against the railing of the back patio behind Rouge's country cabin. As she had anticipated, the rains had stopped sometime into the night. Restless, she had come out here to look upon the world below. The light of the sun began to shine in the horizon, but the light had not yet covered the world. It was approximately 6:00 AM on the day of August 27. The summer days grew short. Autumn was fast approaching.

However, her thoughts were not looking in that direction; her were not turned that way. A fine breeze was blowing. Her hair flowed out behind her. Such a strange marvel. Had she not ever felt the wind blowing past, its cool, light touch? Yes, of course. She could remember it. Eyes shut, head high, she looked onward, allowing the breeze too take her in.

Yes, it was real, she remembered it… but something was missing… Something felt strange and unusual. Was it her hair? Perhaps, before she had always kept it cut down, but over the months she was in that hospital bed, it grew back. Yes, that was it—she could not recall the feel of her hair flowing out behind her. It was strange, unusual… yet so wonderful!

Shannon sighed. What was the use? Nothing made sense anymore. It was just all so pitiful… "Ugh, why do I have to suffer so?" she asked no one in particular.

"Because it's fate," a voice called out from behind.

The girl spun around. "Rouge?" she asked.

Rouge the Bat stepped through the glass sliding door from inside of the house. "Mind if I join you?" she asked.

The bat was clearly tired. Her eyes were blood-shot, lips swollen. Her hair was a mass of disarray. Shannon looked up at her, surprised. "What took you so long?" she asked. "You should probably get some sleep…"

Rouge chuckled to herself. "What about you? Did you get much sleep?"

The girl sighed. "No," she stated. "The dreams kept coming back…"

The bat nodded. "I understand," she said. "You know, they are only trying to help. They are trying to piece together your past. Shannon, I know who you are. Actually, it even surprised me at first…"

Shannon laughed out. "Yeah, I'm Frankenstein's monster! Seriously, I know who I am, I just… don't know everything else…" she stated.

Sighing, Shannon leaned over the railing, looking onward. Rouge placed her hand on the railing, as well. "Actually, you only _think_ you know who you are. The real truth is that you have no living parents, you do not live in Station Square or in the surrounding vicinity, and your name is not Shannon McKenzie."

Shannon shook her head. "No, you're wrong. I am who I am. I remembered my name—"

"Only because I told Tracy Higgins who you were," Rouge stated. "People can get false memories. In your case, you only remember it because the name came up. It was an utter coincidence."

The girl raised an eyebrow. Her expression changed. Her smiled flipped upside down. She stood up, staring at the bat. "Wait, what are you saying?!" she asked. "My name is Shannon McKenzie! That's all there is to it…"

Rouge turned, chuckled slightly. Shannon didn't like the look on the bat's face. "Oh, wait, you mean that dead girl?" she proclaimed.

Shannon backed away, fear entering into her eyes. "Wh… what?!"

Rouge stood up, nodding. "Yes, Shannon, which I shall call you for the moment even though it isn't actually your real name. The REAL Shannon McKenzie, whom looks similar to you but not exactly alike, is dead. She died five months ago. A few days later, you were found in the near vicinity. However, it was all just a big coincidence. Do you understand me? You are NOT Shannon McKenzie."

She was still in shock over the whole thing, but Rouge did research it thoroughly, didn't she…? No! It wasn't true! This was just another stupid set up, yes… Shannon didn't even trust the bat in the first place—they had only just met! …but her heart told her that it all was true. She just couldn't believe it... _'But if Shannon's dead, then who am I?'_

The bat turned away, not willing to look upon the despair that the girl had fallen into. They stood there for a while, not making a sound. At last, Rouge spoke up, but she did not turn around. "Do you know who Shadow is?" she asked.

Shannon, or whoever she was, shook her head. "No," she stated. "The name keeps on popping up, everywhere, but I cannot figure out just who the heck he is!"

Rouge chuckled. "Well, then, how about Maria? Have you ever heard that name?"

Shannon sighed. What was the use? It didn't matter, anyway! Who was Maria? Ugh, it just didn't… Wait a second…

_Tapping echoed through metal corridors. I raced ahead, moving swiftly. Soldiers yelling, guns blazing. A voice cried out. I could hear the screaming anguish, but could do nothing. The face, that face! Who was this person? Where am I?_

"_Shadow, help me!" a female voice cried out._

"_Maria!" another voice called out, this one male. Wait a second… this sounded different. It sounded like… it was coming from me!_

The girl knelt forward, hand on her chest. Rouge stood over her. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Shannon blinked, and then looked up. "Tell me what you know!" she demanded. "I saw metal corridors, I heard soldiers yelling, gun fire, a scream, and then nothing…"

Rouge nodded. "The Ark Incident fifty years ago. It was a tragic accident, but the truth behind the whole thing was covered up. G.U.N. has since rectified that black mark from their reputation, but the past cannot be changed. A young girl died during this incident. She was a teenager—fourteen years old. Do you remember, now?"

Shannon gasped out. "Is… is she actually me? Was I there, and I somehow survived…? Maria…?"

Rouge chuckled out. "Actually, that's what I thought at first, too," she stated. Turning away, the bat quickly pulled out a small, flat object. "Was there anyone else you saw in that vision? Or perhaps a voice…?"

The girl closed her eyes, thinking. She opened them again, surprise filling her face. "Is that Shadow?" she asked, standing up. "Who is he? I need to know! And Maria… please tell me!"

The bat nodded. She turned around, holding a piece of paper in her hands. "Shannon, it was all right in front of you the entire time. I was even blinded by it, not knowing the truth. The entire thing, right before my eyes… Here is the DNA Test Results gathered from a drop of your blood."

That last part surprised her. She reached up and touched her cheek. A scab... This must've been from the… "What in the world?!" she cried out, grabbing the page in her hands.

The test results here were of her blood, HER own blood... Two people were listed on here. The blood sample matched about 80 with the second, but for the first… a 95 similarity. The person listed here was what surprised her most of all.

"Shannon," Rouge stated, "Shadow the Hedgehog… is you."

The girl gasped out one last time, her mouth gaping in awe. "Impossible…" she muttered.

Chrome blue formed itself around red eyes. Two eyes, surrounded by black and once again by blue, stared down below. He transmitted a video through radio waves, the data reaching a satellite orbiting the Earth's atmosphere. At last, it transmitted back down again and a computer system received it somewhere in the mountains nearby.

The silhouette of a mustached figure received the transmission. He wore a red shirt mixed with white and black pant and shoes, had a bald head, and wore a pair of glasses that blocked out sight of his eyes. He grinned, slyly. "Excellent," the man muttered.

The voice transmitted back across the lines, through the satellite, and was picked up by the figure standing on top of the cabin. It stood there for a second, staring into nothingness. At last, it melted away into a puddle, disappearing from sight.

* * *

**Author's Note(s)**: YES! Now I can finally reveal it! 'Eh, I was thinking about delaying it until the next chapter, but I thought that by placing it here it would be greater suspense, as now you have yet to learn just HOW he got that way in the first place. Oh, and btw, do NOT read further if you haven't read the fic yet, and especially this chapter. **_THE ENTIRE REASONING BEHIND THIS FIC IS REVEALED IN THIS CHAPTER, AND ALSO IN THE PARAGRAPH BELOW._**

Anyway, truth be told, the whole "Maria" thing in the last few chapters was a last-minute addition. I never intended on indicating that Shannon was actually Maria. However, SexyShadowGal brought up that she thought she knew who Shannon was, and I figured that she was referring to Maria. As such, THAT is when I got the idea to make Shannon look like Maria. However, all along, I had truly intended on Shannon being Shadow (which is also why Shadow is first on the Character list, though if there was an "OC" option, I would've put that, instead, despite the fact that she is really Shadow). 

Another thing also revealed is who is behind it. Though the name wasn't given, you all know who it was, right? Well, in case you didn't, I won't spoil it here. You'll reveal exactly how Shadow's little accident occurred in the next few chapters. In the original draft, I actually revealed it in this chapter, but I decided to add suspense by delaying the realization until the end of the chapter, so there. 

Oh, and about Shannon, fear not, there truly IS a real Shannon McKenzie (obviously being an OC). You'll learn more about her, later.

Anyway, that's done, and so is this. I hope you enjoyed this presentation by UltimaHedgie, also known as David Conway. Oh, wait, isn't it the opposite?


	17. Remembrance

**Dreams of an Absent Mind**

_**Part 4**_

_**Chapter 17 – Remembrance**_

The skies lay alit with gloriously light, shining down upon the world. "Shannon's" heart was not, though. "Her" thoughts were led astray, wondering… How did it happen? Just how in the world could such a thing have ever occurred? She could not picture it in her head… but she could picture the memories, slowly coming together. It was strange…

_The darkness of the forest covered the shadows lurking in the gloom of the night sky. Eyes adjusting, glaring, piercing through the blackness. Strange energy pulsated, I could feel it. The mission could wait, I thought. This must be investigated, first…_

Shannon's eyes shot open. She looked around in wonder. The forest, that same forest, lay around her. _'Yes,'_ she told herself, _'I remember now. My mission was to investigate something nearby, but a strange energy from the mountains alerted my attention. Just what was it, though?'_

Her memories had begun to return, but only fragments had been opened. There was still more, much more. If Rouge was correct, in the past, she had yet other memory problems. Grand. _'And just my luck, too,'_ she thought to herself.

Heh. The "she" aspects of this whole thing were a dud. "He" was technically a "she" at the moment, though, so that's why it worked that way. Rouge had even trying calling her "Shadow," but it was quickly shot down. "Until I am back to normal, it's Shannon," she had told the bat.

The trees never dissipated. In fact, they only grew stronger. The density increased, blotting out the light above, creating a green aura through the area. '_How long have we been out here?' s_he had thought. _'How much farther would it be?'_

Surely it wouldn't take this long, would it? She had seen the cliff and Shannon remembered. She was chased by something and didn't even notice the cliff. Rouge said that something had once been in this area, stating that a land mass was once here housing a great treasure, but it then rose up into the skies, never to be seen again. Surely she'd remember eventually, but it was still so confusing. A ruin was said to exist to the south, but that was a long way off.

Looking onward, Shannon saw Rouge disappear into a large bush. Pushing through, she saw that the trees had ended. Sure enough, there it was—the cliff side. The cliff was very tall, with sharp boulders sticking out of the ground like spikes at the bottom. She recalled the cliff and the fall, but nothing else about it. Rouge had thought that something might be down here which would trigger Shannon's memory to return, but she did not see anything that might give a hint or a clue about… well, anything.

Rouge glanced around, looking this way and that, surveying the scene. At last she stopped and turned around. "Is this the place?" she asked.

Shannon nodded. "It looks like it," she stated, not saying anything further.

The bat nodded in reply. "Good," she said, turning away once again. "There may be something here that belonged to you. Let's try looking around."

Shannon sighed. It was a useless endeavor. Nothing was around here. Still, looking was better than sitting around, doing nothing. "Oh, alright, then," she stated.

Despite her doubts, Shannon still decided to aid Rouge in this fool-hardy search. There was nothing around here, no signs of anything. She barely believed the bat's indication about her being Shadow, but her memories told another story… It was clear that it was the truth, but it just didn't make any sense at all.

As Rouge had started off to the west, which was actually to the right of where they had come out of the forest, Shannon decided to take the opposite path. As expected, she didn't really notice anything at first. Then again, her mind wasn't really concentrating on the situation, either. It was really hard to given the circumstances, the events that had taken place, and the very unrealistic setting. Changing the race of being was band enough, but changing genders, as well? All at once? How was one expected to believe that?! She couldn't, either…

Time passed as she thought over these things. No voices through the trees, no Rouge yelling out for Shannon's presence, no wind… How far had she gone, anyway? Everything looked so familiar…

Her thoughts stopped. Her heart beat loudly, pulse racing. A peculiar looking object stuck out of a bush just a little ways into the woods. Apparently she hadn't gone far, but this is certainly something she had never noticed before. "What is it…?" she asked herself.

The object appeared to be in the shape of a trapezoid. It was mostly white, but it was outlined in red. When the time was rise, the light of the sun glared brightly off of it, blinding those who looked at it. It looked rather small in size, but it seemed very obvious that it was merely sticking out. Suddenly, her eyes shot open. _'Wait, could it be…?'_

She raced forward. Her hand touched the object, feeling the glossy texture. Reaching around the back, she felt tiny holes. Yes, it definitely seemed like it. She nodded her head, finally removing the object from the bush. Sure enough, she was right.

**_XXXXX_**

Rouge the Bat peered out of the confines of the trees, glancing around. Whatever it was had apparently disappeared, but it would certainly be back. What was he doing here, though? Hell, hadn't he switched sides? Well, apparently he must've been reprogrammed or something. Unless, of course, he wasn't under the doctor's control…

She narrowed her eyes. _'There is so much I don't know,'_ she told herself. _'Whatever the case, I must get back and warn Shad—er, Shannon, and show…her…what I found.'_

Yes, of course, that was the way to go. Wouldn't she be delighted to see this? As Rouge had anticipated, Shadow apparently had dashed in this direction, perhaps either before or after the transformation, and forgot about the cliff. More and likely, though, it was after the transformation, and he simply never noticed what had happened. While anthros were shorter, humans were thinner. When he became Shannon, _she_ was too small for the rings to fit around her wrists and the shoes on her feet. They stayed on initially, but then fell off on the way.

The shoes stuck by 'till the end, but she didn't know about the rings. At least one of them ended up at the bottom of the cliff. That one was the one Lieutenant Gregory had found. The other could be down here, or could be up there. This explained why she was found bare, though. She was wearing no clothing to begin with, except for the shoes and the rings, of which could not stay on her body as they were all too big.

This explained a lot of things, but it still didn't explain how Shadow got to be Shannon in the first place. The name was obvious—it was a little mix-up. The names sound remarkably similar, and plus that, the first three letters of each are exactly the same. A female Shadow would best be described by the name Silhouette, which is effectively the same thing as "Shadow" except sounding more feminine, but Shannon is closer to Shadow in pronunciation and spelling.

Whatever the case, Rouge still had to get back out there. The other shoe was still missing, and plus that, there was a renegade robot on the loose. _'If I don't hear anything else for a few minutes, I'll head out,'_ she decided.

One

There didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary. That machine had apparently left, already. How had it found them in the first place, though?

Two

Well, there was still nothing. The wind picked up a little, but that was about it. Well, she did hear a little bit of noise, but looking up, she noticed that it was merely a squirrel climbing through the trees.

And three—

"Rouge!" a voice yelled out.

The bat raised an eyebrow, turning her head. Through the bushes, she noticed Shannon racing ahead in this direction. In her hands, Rouge saw it—the other shoe. Rouge knew that the Air Shoes had to be down here, and sure enough, they were. Shannon didn't know that Metal Sonic was on the loose, though. He'd surely hear her!

Shannon glanced around, trying to locate the batgirl, but she was no where to be found. She began to open her mouth and call out again, but the next instant, she was flat on the ground. Rouge stood over her. The bat's index finger pointed upwards, crossing passed her lips. Shannon nodded, but still did not understand what was going on.

Rouge quickly spun around, glancing to the side. She turned her body, looking behind her. Nothing was there, but then she heard something from the direction Shannon had come from. She quickly spun again, facing that direction. However, once again, she saw nothing. She stepped back, but then almost immediately, she felt a sharp pain in her right shoulder.

She winced, pulling a sharp spike out of the wound. Blood oozed down her back, but it was limited. She raised the item up, getting a close look at it. It appeared to be a strange metal spike. She sniffed it and it was quite clear that some formula had been placed inside. Wait a second, could this…?

Pain surged across her body. She collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Shannon watched as a tall, blue robot, apparently shaped like a hedgehog, walked passed Rouge. It reached down and grabbed the object out of the bat's hand. He grabbed the spike and stuck it to the end of his finger. Apparently, it was the tip of one of the robot's talons.

The robot narrowed its eyes. "My master has need of you," he proclaimed.

Shannon backed away, crawling along the ground. Who was this creature, anyway? Wait, what…? "Metal Sonic…" she muttered.

"_Go get that fool, Metal Sonic!" a voice yelled out. "Don't let her escape!"_

_Out of breath, I dashed on ahead as fast as I could. It wasn't the fact that I couldn't handle him, I could easily, but the problem was the army of robots behind. 'Sides, something didn't feel right. Perhaps that energy beam did more than it seemed initially… Hang on; didn't the doctor just say "her"?_

_It didn't matter. Escape was the only matter. Breath. 'Heave in, heave out. Take a breath, let loose. Ya' can't save the world if you're dead, Shadow,' I had told myself._

_Hang on, something DEFINITELY wasn't right here! My rings felt like they were falling off. My air shoes were extremely loose, something that didn't happen on a normal day. 'Stay focused, ignore this little side things. It's a trick, yes, that's it!'_

…_it didn't feel that way…_

_The trees grew wild. Dash to the left, dash to the right, and to the left again. Still, though, the robots pursued. It was no use getting caught now. Something had definitely happened back there. The doctor must've done… something. The pains… That must've been the bones in my body reshaping themselves. Whatever happened, someone would answer for it!_

_An object slipped passed my hand. No, wait, that was my ring! It just fell off… I came to a stop. "No!" I called out._

_My voice was very light and… feminine. Oh, sure, gender swap. Big whoop. The doctor can do something better than… wait, what?! My hand was a light tan, thin, and small. It seems that the glove fell of, as well. Okay, changed into a girl, AND into a human? Right… so how did he manage that one?!_

_Metal Sonic charged on ahead, an army of robots at his side. I narrowed my eyes. Spinning around, I darted on ahead. At least the air shoes hadn't fallen off yet. Running on two feet, especially in this form, would make it impossible to outrun them. Even then, a noticeable weight shift seemed to cause my body to slide once and a while, but it still worked well._

_Gotta get out of here… got to find someone who could reverse the process… Who could do such a thing…? Wait, of course! Tails is the only one that can outwit Eggman. If anyone could do it, he could. Now if only I could get out of…_

_A sudden drop-off appeared beneath my feet. Falling through the air, my body swayed. Above, Metal Sonic watched in awe, and glee. The end was here. I felt my body crumble into the ground, and then…_

Shannon's eyes opened. She glanced around, but the exact same scene was there. Metal Sonic poised above her, Rouge lying on the ground, unconscious, and she, sitting there, watching. "So that's how it happened…" she muttered.

Yes, the memory had finally come back, triggered by Metal Sonic's sudden appearance. Still, what was that about her seeing Shadow fall…? It must've been something that her mind created… Truly, all along, Rouge was right. She was Shadow. That's all there was to it. It was still hard to come to grips with, though…

The robot nodded his head, answering the call to his name. However, he was apparently in no mood for games. He quickly darted passed her and grabbed her up by the color, much to her surprise. "I'm sorry, but you will have to come with me," he proclaimed. Metal Sonic bashed his head into hers, and she saw no more.

* * *

**Author's Note(s)**: If I didn't tell you before, I say it now--vote for Dreams of an Absent Mind at the Sonic Site Awards!

I personally like this chapter, actually. However, initially, I was going to submit it before adding the flashback, but then I realized something was missing. This chapter wasn't quite so "revealing," despite the name being "Remembrance." As such, I added in the flashback scene in which Shadow escaped from Metal Sonic (and fell off the cliff). Remember the red-clad man present in the previous chapter for a brief second? Well, he's referenced here, too... Heh, after Fang's little phone chat a while back, I figured you would've guessed it, by now!


	18. Doctor's Orders

**Dreams of an Absent Mind**

_**Part 4: Remembrance**_

_**Chapter 18 – Doctor's Orders**_

Shannon's eyes opened, but she saw nothing. The only thing remaining was the dark blackness of the world. She gasped out, jumping to her feet. Endless blackness was all that existed. She spun around, turning, spinning in the fray, but there was nothing. Was this what death was—a black nothingness that went on for eternity? She feared it…

What happened to Rouge? What did Metal Sonic want? Who was behind all this?! Well, it mattered not any longer. She raised her hands, staring into them. She never expected to die like this. She at least wanted to see her normal body once again. Shannon could not fathom just the idea that she was dead. Didn't Metal Sonic say that "his master" wanted her? Who is his master, anyway? Didn't he betray his creator? Wait, creator? Who WAS his creator, anyway?! Her memories hadn't fully returned, and now it seemed that they never would.

Shadows of the past lingered on, pressing forward. Sonic knew; Sonic had realized the similarities between Shannon and Shadow. She herself didn't even realize them until Rouge pointed them out. Though genetically changed by… something, her genetic traits remained the same. Her hair remained the same color—black with streaks of red. Her physical age was the same, and her personality was mostly the same, as well, except a couple of modifications to more fit the female form.

Fang had also noticed some similarities, too. Back in Station Square, when they had first met… or had they met before? Wait, yes… Fang escaped from prison in the direction of the Mystic Ruins. Shadow was sent to investigate, and then… nothing until Metal Sonic's chase. Wait…

A figure formed in her mind. A bulky man stood on top of a strange craft and looking downward. He was well overweight, and he was also over the age of fifty, but he looked like he was in his early forties. He had a large moustache, the same color as his hair, between his nose and mouth. His eyes were covered with eyeglasses, his head bald on the top with hair off to the sides. He wore a goofy pair of goggles on his head, be he also sometimes wore them on his face. His red and black jacket looked ridiculous, but suited him well.

All these images and thoughts came to her mind, but she still couldn't form the name in her head. Fang had mentioned something, something about… a doctor...? And an "Egghead?" Wait, hold on… Yes, of course, it was…

"Dr. Eggman!" she cried out.

"Precisely," a voice echoed in the darkness.

Lights flashed on around her. One after another, they glared at her, blinding. She stood at the center of a cold, metal chamber. There were no doors or windows, save for a single window high up on the wall to her right. There, in the control room, sat him, the man she pictured in her vision.

Eggman raised his arms and closed his fist, motioning, beckoning. "Welcome, my dear," he proclaimed. "Are you well?"

Shannon snarled. "What is the meaning of this?!" she demanded.

Eggman chuckled. "Well aren't you snippy!" he called out, laughing loudly. "Perhaps I shan't tell you, now…"

She sneered. "Just get on with it, doctor! I don't have time for this; I just want to know what the hell is going on!"

Eggman laughed once again. "Awe, come now, I preferred your new personality. That questioning, humble, solemn little girl was so much better. Need you convert back to that old grouch of a hedgehog?"

Shannon narrowed her eyes, stepping forward. "Wait, you knew about this?! So you ARE behind it!"

The doctor nodded in reply. "Why, of course. It is my technology, after all… and I've almost finished the final tests. However, I still need to test the reversion formula. The complex DNA of those magnificent creatures is more difficult to grasp than that within human bodies. On the other hand, the gender version of the formula was actually quite easy to handle."

Shannon opened her mouth to speak, but Eggman spoke up, first. "So, now, you want to know what I'm planning, correct? Well, I'd love to explain everything right now, but first, I must show you something. Observe…"

Eggman hit a few keys on the control console before him. Shannon watched as metal plating to the left of her position slid across, revealing a window looking into another room. Lying on the floor was a young woman, about the age of eighteen, she reckoned. The woman seemed to be unconscious, but she was still breathing. She wore loose garments, consisting of a purple uniform with a pink heart on the center, white gloves with hearts at the wrist position, and white boots, containing hearts at the ankles. She had short hair, but strangely, it was albino in color—white.

As Shannon stared in wonder, the realization finally dawned on her. She remembered her own hair, before becoming the way she was now, was black, streaked with red. Sure enough, that was the case. This girl's clothing was also identical to that of… She narrowed her eyes. "Rouge!" she called out, racing to the window.

She pounded on the glass, crying out. "Rouge, Rouge! You have to wake up, please… Rouge!"

Eggman tapped his fingers on the desk in front of him, staring down through the glass window at the pitiful figure below. "She can't hear you," he mocked. "It's futile!"

Shannon gritted her teeth. She spun around, glaring at the doctor. "What have you done to her?!" she demanded.

The doctor chuckled to himself. "Oh, only proved my experiments correct. You proved fruitful with one method of transferring the formula, but Rouge witnessed the longer, more painful version. Now all I must to is test the reversion process, and my experiments will be complete."

The girl narrowed her eyes. "You're insane! What will it help, anyway?! It won't DO anything! You won't gain any leverage in your quest for world domination, so why even bother with it in the first place?!"

Eggman chuckled to himself. "Ah, but you're missing the big picture. I have had everything planned out from the start. You see, what do all of my enemies contain? What are they? Sonic can run at supersonic speeds. Take away his form, he'll lose his speed. Taking away Tails' form won't rid him of his genius, but it will annihilate his abilities of flight. Giving Knuckles a new form will also greatly reduce his strength, but more importantly, he also would be unable to harness the powers of the Master Emerald. That, of course, is only the beginning…"

Shannon stared up. She shivered with cold. So… that's what he's doing… ridding everyone of their special strengths. However, it's such a strange way to do it. Isn't there something else, some other way? Or is there another reason for him doing it this way…?

The doctor's chuckle turned into a laugh. "So, do you now see how everything fits together? Using my formula, I can turn all the anthros in the world into humans, giving me a greater edge with the loss of their power. In the confusion, my machines will march upon the world, taking control of everything, and there would be no one to stop me… I will equip my machines with energy converters so that they can then wield the mystical Chaos Energy, and with no one to fight back…"

Shannon just stared aimlessly, in awe of what had just occurred. She collapsed to her knees, shocked. Had Eggman actually won? Had he truly won? There was nothing to stop him, now. No one knew what he was planning, except for her, of course. Not even Rouge knew. She was unconscious this entire time. There was no way Eggman would be willing to set her free, and there was no way for her to fight back. It was over… or was it?

Shannon narrowed her eyes. She raised up her right hand and concentrating. A small ball of energy appeared, swirling with purple and blue and red… It was the power of Chaos, controller of matter, opposite to Order, controller of time. Where there is chaos, there is order; where there is darkness, there is also light. The servers are the seven chaos, which is power, and that power is enriched by the heart. The controller is the one that unifies the chaos. This is known as the Order of Chaos.

She closed her eyes, feeling the power. Strangely, it seemed weaker than before, but perhaps the transformation may have had something to do with it. However, Shannon knew that if she could just tap into some of the energy, she could defeat Eggman… and finally stop having to call herself a "she," even though she personally could care less what she looked like… but what about Rouge? Rouge DOES care…

Doctor Eggman set his eyes on a nearby monitor. The screen was split with a black line, with "Hedgehog DNA Sequence" marked on the right side, and "Human DNA Sequence" marked on the left side. However, the hedgehog DNA sample was still missing a few bars. He quickly started typing on the control console, brainstorming some ideas on how everything fit together. _'Just how DOES it fit together?'_ he told himself.

A flashing red light popped up on a monitor directly opposite to the direction he was looking. A warning signal sounded from the console. Eggman quickly spun around, staring at the screen. "Chaos Energy Overlord" it read. The doctor was stunned. "Wh… what in the world?!" he muttered.

Shannon felt the pulsating energy between her fingertips. She stretched out her left hand across from the right, centering the energy. Yes, she still had her power. Now only to utilize it. "Chaos…" she began. It was strange… after not hearing that in so long, now she heard it again… but with that voice?! Whatever…

She readied the energy, lifting both arms into the air. The dark powers of chaos flashed before her eyes. "Control!"

The energy pulsated, flashing. Then, astounded, Shannon watched as it burst apart. An explosion erupted and she felt the full force of it. She slammed hard up against the far wall, collapsing down onto her hands and knees. In the midst of it all, she heard… clapping.

A hidden door appeared in the far wall, beneath the window where Eggman's control room was located. None other than the doctor himself walked out. "Bravo, Bravo!" he proclaimed. "I'm astounded that you were able to even get that far. Undoubtedly it is the blood that flows through your veins."

The doctor stood above her, staring down at her pitiful body. Then, he stood up and walked behind her. "Unfortunately, as you can plainly see, you cannot hope to wield such power in this form. The human DNA sequence does not allow for it." After making a complete rotation around her, Eggman stopped in front of Shannon and stared at her once again. "They are not in tune with the powers of chaos…"

Shannon narrowed her eyes. "What are you saying?!"

Eggman stood up once again, raising his hands into the air. "I'm saying what I'm saying," he proclaimed. "Chaos power flows throughout the DNA of all anthros, but especially those of the hedgehog family."

Shannon forced herself up to her knees, staring up at the doctor. "Wait, so that's why Sonic is able to—"

Eggman nodded in reply. "Yes, indeed. That is also how echidnas are able to utilize the powers of the Master Emerald, for echidnas are a subspecies of hedgehogs. Unfortunately, the past has not been too kindly for them..."

Getting back on her feet, Shannon stared into Eggman's face. Even despite being much taller than before, the doctor towered over her. He chuckled. His chuckle then turned into a laugh. Why was he laughing? She had no idea.

Eggman opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly, an explosion erupted through the wall behind him, flames flying everywhere. The momentum from the blast knocked Shannon off of her feet. She rolled backwards along the ground. The doctor received most of the damage, though, for he was standing right next to it. However, he seemed to simply stand right up and straighten himself up. It seemed as if… he didn't even feel it.

Bullet fire tore through the chamber. Shannon ducked for cover as the glass window above her shattered. The other glass window, leading into the chamber where Rouge lay, also shattered. Eggman simply stood and watched, staring aimlessly. After everything that could be destroyed was destroyed, the firearms immediately targeted the doctor. However, a black aura surrounded him and the bullets simply bounced off.

Shannon watched in horror. Everything went by so quickly, she couldn't tell what was going on. What she could tell, though, was that whoever the figure was had no interest in her, for it purposely avoided directing its fire towards her. Instead, it targeted pretty much everything else, especially Eggman. However, once the shooter realized that it wasn't hurting the doctor, it stopped.

As the smoke cleared and the dust settled, Shannon strained her eyes to see who her savior was. Upon seeing the figure, she cried out, jumping to her feet. "O… Omega?!"

It was E-123 Omega, last of the E-Series robots. After failing to defeat Eggman time and time again, Rouge offered Omega a chance to become someone by joining the G.U.N. Federation Forces. Omega decided to use this chance to seek out Eggman and kill him. He still failed to do so, but at least the robot had found his way in what organic specimens call "life."

"Omega, what are you doing here?!" Shannon cried out.

The battle android turned and stared down at the figure approaching him. Using the advanced technology within his systems, Omega scanned the DNA signatures of this strange creature before him. **"Shadow… the Hedgehog,"** he proclaimed.

Shannon raised her eyebrow in surprise. "Well, yes, but how'd you…" she paused, then immediately shook her head. "Uh, never mind… but for the record, so long as I'm in this form, the name's Shannon."

Omega lowered his head, staring at her for a few seconds. Afterwards, he nodded. **"Affirmative, Shannon…"**

A voice laughed out loudly, echoing throughout the chamber. Omega and Shannon both turned to see Eggman, but something was strange about him. It looked like his body was melting away. "You fools… Now, I will destroy you!" he called out, his voice distorting.

The doctor melted away into a pool on the ground. However, the pool reformed… Chrome blue, sharp talons, and metallic quills protruded from his body. The face of Metal Sonic appeared. He raised his arm, calling out. "Come legions!"

Machines poured out of the passageway ahead, and through the opening created by Omega, as well. Shannon and Omega were forced back up against the central wall and into the opposite chamber. However, Shannon suddenly backed up into something. "Huh…? What's going on?" a voice called out, wearily.

Omega turned to see a woman sitting down on the ground. However, he immediately knew who she was. "Rouge… the Bat," he proclaimed.

Rouge looked up in surprise. "Huh? Omega? What are you doing here? Where are we?!"

Shannon turned back to the front again, seeing the machines line up all around. Rouge gasped out. Omega stood above her, unwilling to let her get hurt. Metal Sonic moved his way forward, his deep red eyes blazing. **"Finish them—the doctor has no further use for them."**

Every robot in the room immediately readied its weapon. Shannon backed up against Omega, using him as cover. "This can't be good…" she muttered.**  
**

* * *

**Author's Note(s)**: Whew, longer than last chapter. So, how'd you like it? Personally, I find it kinda awkward and kinda corny. Then again, maybe I'm just being a pessimist.

Anyway, if you thought that wait was long, watch out--the next will probably be longer. As you'd expect after reading this, a fight is coming up. Actually, the next few chapters will almost entirely consist fighting. As I'm not very good with fight scenes, my Writer's Block will keep me at bay for quite a while. Wish me luck.


	19. Robotic Uprising

**Dreams of an Absent Mind**

_**Part 4: Remembrance**_

_**Chapter 19 – Robotic Uprising**_

Endless machines dotted the room. One after another, they came, watching, and waiting… Once the orders had come, they would follow them without question; forcefully, and relentlessly… Their targets were the two would-be escapees and their guardian; that traitorous android… Their impending doom was nigh…

The sworn leader, a dark blue machine in the form of a hedgehog, marched proudly to the front line, staring at the three intruders with a cold glare. **"Finish them—the doctor has no further use for them,"** he proclaimed.

As he turned to leave, more robots filled in his place. The leader stood back a little ways in the other chamber, watching from afar. With their orders given, the robots began to raise their armaments, preparing to deal with the infidels.

Shannon ducked behind Omega, slightly frightened. Though her memory had returned, her mind was still not the same. Fear… something she truly never knew had begun to overcome her. "This can't be good…" she muttered.

Upon receiving the orders, the front line of robots immediately opened in a barrage of bullet-fire. Omega stood his ground, raised his arms up to block his head in order to protect Shannon and Rouge. The bullets harmlessly bounced off of his thick metal skin; rounds landing onto the ground below.

Suffering minimal damage from the attack, Omega quickly retracted his talons and replaced them with his machine guns. Opening fire, the battle android tore through a line of robots at the front. Suddenly, a voice yelled out.

"Watch out!" Rouge yelled; diving to the side and pulling Shannon to the ground as a barrage of bullet fire came up from behind.

This attack caught Omega off-guard, but his heavy armor took minimal damage from the onslaught. Spinning around, Omega countered once again with another barrage of machine gun fire. The robots exploded and machine parts flew everywhere.

What was strange, though, was that these robots were different from Eggman's old robots. Apparently, the Egg Pawns had since been scrapped. Instead of them, more advanced, streamlined robots had been made. These where much more humanoid in appearance and were a bright white color. However, they were still relatively weak—likely a brand new model that hadn't been fully completed, yet.

Regardless, despite his best efforts, Omega was unable to hold the machines back. As they fell, more just kept coming in. A new plan would have to be forged; they could not keep up with this forever.

Seeing an opening, Rouge decided to jump in on the action. Dashing forward, she pushed herself off the ground and into the air, landing on the shoulders of a robot that had just come in. Unfortunately, she found it difficult to keep her balance with the loss of her wings. She flipped backwards rather clumsily, but still managed to land on the ground safely.

Regaining her balance, the former bat-girl swiftly swung her leg into the robot, hoping to take out others in the process. However, when her heel collided with the machine, it remained undamaged. Furious, she swung more kicks, but the robot didn't notice, let alone budge from its position. Soon, though, their robotic assailants took notice.

Rouge backed away, but then noticed the weapon of a fallen robot lying on the ground. Almost immediately, bullet-fire echoed through the air once again. A line of robots feel to the power of their own weaponry. Rouge never liked the idea of using such artillery before, but it was the only choice she had, now.

Shannon, having stayed on the ground after coming under fire, looks up from her position and sees Rouge facing off against the robots. With Omega distracted, Rouge had been cornered and was about to be annihilated. Seeing a fallen weapon a ways to her left, Shannon quickly jumped to her feet and dashed over, swiping it off the ground. Aiming up ahead, she opened fire and took down the robots.

Shannon dropped the weapon on the ground and quickly rushed forward to where Rouge was. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Glancing up, Rouge nodded in reply. "I'm fine," she stated, pushing herself to her feet. "How is Omega doing?"

E-123 Omega found himself cornered in every direction by Eggman's mechs. The robots fell easily, either via bullet-fire or by being struck by sharp talons. However, it seemed that the number just kept on increasing. One swing after another, Omega slashed across, felling multitudes, yet still, more just kept on coming. Where did the doctor get all the metal to build all these robots, anyway?

The robots kept crowding around. Omega had no room to move. They pulled at his arms and at his legs. It seemed that as they could not damage him using normal bullet-fire, they instead intended on tearing him limb from limb. Suddenly, another barrage of bullet-fire tore out. One by one, the cluster of robots fell to the ground, some exploding with mechanical parts flying in all directions.

Omega turned and saw Shannon and Rouge arrive, both wielding a weapon dropped by Eggman's robots. "You okay?" Rouge asked.

The battle android glanced at both of them, looking them over. **"You are undamaged?"** he asked, speaking out in a loud, monotone voice.

Shannon nodded. "We're fine, but what about you?"

Omega stared for a second, but then quickly raised and lowered his head.**"Systems check complete; all operations running at one hundred percent."**

Rouge turned to Shannon, staring awkwardly. "He's okay," she proclaimed.

Another group of robots charged into the room from the other chamber, but Metal Sonic remained motionless. They opened fire, but Omega quickly jumped in front. Switching his talons for machine guns, the battle android immediately opened fire and dispatched of the robots. Omega stood his ground and waited, but no more came. Seeing the chance open, he began to dart ahead towards Metal Sonic, but then he heard something from behind.

Two missiles flew through the air. Another group of robots had come from behind, through a door that opened up in the wall. Shannon and Rouge backed away, but they had no cover. Omega couldn't even defend himself from explosives like that, let alone those two do it. Acting quickly, Omega retracted his talons once again and fired ahead.

Shannon ducked as she heard a noise from behind. Almost immediately, two explosions rocked the floor, sending both herself and also Rouge into the ground. Rouge quickly regained her footing and spun around. A new series of robots came in, though these looked exactly the same as the others. The difference, though, was the choice weaponry. She narrowed her eyes.

Shannon pushed herself back up to her feet, again, just in time to see Omega arrive. Hearing heavy footsteps, Rouge quickly turned around and stared at Omega. Omega stared back, but it seemed to tell something. Shannon had no clue what was going on. This time, Rouge nodded in reply, but still said nothing.

The battle android glanced around, watching the robots surround them. They leveled their weapons and got ready to fire. Omega turned to Rouge once again, nodding her head in reply. **"Affirmative,"** he proclaimed.

The former-hedgehog-turned-human, and turned-female, too, stared at the two, curiously. "What's going on…?" Shannon asked.

No sooner did she say that when missiles launched out straight for them in all directions. Omega stepped in between Shannon and Rouge and held out his arms, waiting. Rouge grabbed hold of Omega, and motioned to Shannon, too. "Grab on!" she called out.

Shannon reluctantly followed orders, though she was still clueless as to what was going on. The missiles came closer, flying at high speeds. Shannon shielded her eyes as they were about to hit home, but then something happened…

Omega clasped his hands together in front of him and a blue light stretched out. Particles of what was clearly vulcan energy swirled around, flashing like electricity. The missiles hit, but no explosions echoed out. Instead, it appeared that the missiles went straight into the aura and disintegrated instantly. Not one of them remained.

This got Metal Sonic's attention. He had enjoyed watching the fight, and was about ready to see the fireworks, but then, they just… vanished. He walked forward, through the lines of robots, and stared at the trio in the center of the room. The girl, the agent, and the battle android all remained motionless. The two humans, formerly anthros, of course, both had their eyes closed, and seemed rather scared, despite the fact that Rouge knew what was going on. Metal Sonic did, too.

"**Particle beam cannon, fire!"** Omega cried out.

The energies swirled and waved around a bit, until finally, they gave way and spread out in all directions. The robots disintegrated as the beam of swirling energy passed by them. Metal Sonic stood his ground, though. He simply let it pass, staying in its wake. All the robots had been destroyed, but they knew that more would come.

The energy at last sputtered and dissipated. The central wall between the two chambers was now half gone. Above them, a hole had been created in the ceiling, and the sun peaked in. The wall behind them was partially destroyed, as well, with the forest outside clearly visible. Ahead, a passage had opened up in the wall, as well. Shannon stared into its depths and saw a staircase going down. However, then another noise caught her attention.

Metal Sonic's black, diamond-shaped shield vanished from sight. Despite an attack of that mass, he had remained completely undamaged. The robot turned to face them, his blood-red eyes staring a cold glare.**"You will pay for that, robot,"** he proclaimed.

Shannon and Rouge quickly got behind Omega, and the robot himself stepped forward, but Rouge shook her head. "It's no use. Eggman's technology has far increased since creating Omega. Omega is outdated, while Metal Sonic has received numerous updates and upgrades. There's no way he can win."

Metal Sonic charged forward, punching a swift blow to the left side of Omega's head. Omega quickly countered with his own strike, sending a powerful punch into Metal Sonic's head, causing the robot to go flying backwards. However, Metal Sonic only got back up, again, and charged forward. Omega charged, as well, the two pushing against each others talons in an attempt to win over the other.

Shannon backed away, shaking her head. "But... but what about the particle beam cannon? I don't remember that, before, but I'm guessing it must've been a new addition since my coma. It seems to have vastly improved since its original form, so can't he…?"

Rouge shook her head. "Yes, it is a new addition, and yes, it has received numerous upgrades, making it more deadly, but the charge-rate is astronomical. It takes forever to charge. Even then, it drains Omega's memory banks severely, causing him to be even weaker than normal. His memory needs to clear, and the beam also needs to charge, first. Even then, you saw what happen. Metal Sonic took the full force of the attack, but his Black Shield negated all damage."

More robots came running in from the other chamber. Omega noticed this, but could do nothing as he was trying to keep Metal Sonic from reaching the others. Metal Sonic was almost as strong as him, though, but Metal Sonic was also far more agile. The robot also had other things he could do; such as copy the abilities of another person, which was an ability originating came from an ancient war machine known as the Gizoid. He also had data stored up from before, including that of Chaos, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Shadow, Rouge, Cream, Big, Espio, Charmy, Vector, and even himself.

Metal Sonic had more than enough power to defeat the battle android, Omega knew this, but he pressed on, anyway. Glancing back slightly, he saw Shannon and Rouge backing away. However, what they did not know was that more robots were coming in from behind, and even through the openings in the walls. There would only be one chance, but that would be going deeper into Eggman's base. Still, it was better than nothing.

Omega pushed Metal Sonic off of him and sent a swift blow to the robot's head, sending the duplicate backwards. Quickly, he spun around and pointed toward the opening in the wall that had been made, opposite to the opening that led outside, where a new line of robots came in.**"Go!"** he demanded.

Rouge turned to where Omega was pointing and nodded. She grabbed Shannon's hand. "Come on!" she stated.

Shannon shook her head, pushing Rouge off. "But what about Omega?!" she proclaimed.

Rouge narrowed her eyes. "Omega can always be repaired if need-be. You and I cannot. We have to get out of here—Omega is giving us this chance so that we can try and help him. If we can find that formula of Eggman's, we can return ourselves to normal so that we can then help Omega stop Eggman. We can't do that if we're dead."

Shannon stared ahead, but finally, she reluctantly agreed and nodded her head. Rouge quickly grabbed her arm and the two of them briskly raced to the staircase leading down. Omega watched as they went, not noticing the figure before him. Metal Sonic sent a swift blow to the battle android's head and his viewing when fuzzy, until finally it blacked out, entirely, and Omega saw nothing more after.

* * *

**Author's Note(s)**: Woah, it took me a MONTH to do this chapter?! Heh, well, at least it's done, now. I actually originally had some more ideas to put in the end of this, but I decided to include those in the next chapter. Also note that the next chapter will mostly be plot-oriented as opposed to fighting, like I originally planned. There will probably be some fighting toward the end, though.

Anyway, yeah, it's in no small part to a very special person for helping get me motivated. She helped with some ideas, of which I have not given up on, yet. However, I simply pushed them off to later chapters. The next two chapters should hopefully come around a little quicker than the previous ones. Oh, and the Sonic Site Awards have officially ended, at least voting. We'll see if I win anything. Fingers crossed.

In other news, the "special person" I referred to above happens to be a relatively new person in my life, but someone I love very much... in the romantic sort of way. Yes, 'deh Hedgie finally has found himself a girl... And he's lovin' it.


	20. Trading Faces

**Dreams of an Absent Mind**

_**Part 4: Remembrance**_

_**Chapter 20 – Trading Faces**_

Shannon and Rouge made their way down through the twisted maze of corridors and stairways. Shannon had no idea how far down they went, or how long they had been going, but it certainly seemed like a while. Regardless of that, though, she could care less—she was more worried about Omega. What would happen to him? Could Omega possibly be damaged beyond repair? What would happen if he COULDN'T be fixed? She didn't want to think about it…

At this point, she could care less about returning to her normal self. She didn't care what she looked like, just so long as she had her powers back. It would be difficult to keep Maria's wish in this form. However, at the same time, she couldn't help but feel sorry for Omega, even thought it was his choice. She just wished, and prayed, that he would be okay. Until then, she and Rouge would just have to try and help Omega in another way.

As they moved on, Shannon had an awkward feeling. The moisture in the air seemed to gradually get thinner and thinner. The cold, damp, metallic corridor deep within Eggman's base was gradually getting warmer. The blue hue of the dark passageway faded into a red glow as they made their way descent through the massive construct of metal and iron. Ahead, a bright redness could be seen. They seemed to be nearing the end of the tunnel.

Shannon and Rouge ran out of the passageway and into a blistering heat coming from down below. They arrived at a control center overlooking what appeared to be a foundry of sorts. A chain link metal walkway hung over a massive pit of molten rock. Above, the afternoon sky shone brightly through an opening surrounding by rock walls. However, it seemed somehow familiar to both Shannon and Rouge.

The bat turned her eyes to face Shannon, nodding her head. Shannon also nodded in reply. They knew exactly where they were. "Mount Vernon!" they called out.

Mount Vernon was the only active volcano left in the Mystic Mountains west of the jungle in the Central Expanse region of the United Federation. Strange activities had been reported in the area for some time, but no one had any solid proof of misdoings, so no forces had been sent to investigate. Now, though, it was quite clear what had been going on.

Rouge glanced around the area, searching it thoroughly. "Hmm… so this is what he's up to," she commented. "What could he be building, though?"

Shannon shook her head. "I don't know, but perhaps we could use that console over there," she commented, pointing to a control console a short distance away.

This console was probably what controlled the machinery in the foundry. Three tall screens stood above the console, more like glass windows than anything else. Clearly, though, these acted as monitors for viewing data. Perhaps the computers would contain some information…?

Rouge stepped up to the console and started pressing various buttons and keys as Shannon watched at a distance. The screens all lit up, showing the same exact information that appeared on the lower monitors sitting on top of the console itself. Shannon stared at it, awkwardly. "Hmm… What is this?" she asked.

"I think this is supposed to be a diary or journal of some sort. It details all of Eggman's data he uncovered," Rouge commented in reply.

Shannon nodded, turning back to the screen again. "As I was planning out a new plot after my last defeat at the hands of that irritating hedgehog, a thought occurred to me… 'If I could stop him dead in his tracks, I may be able to yet defeat him.' The problem, of course, is that it was not possible to do such a thing! …unless I get rid of the source of his speed entirely. I shall have to think it over, more."

Rouge raised an eyebrow, reading it to herself through the smaller monitor. "Well, that didn't reveal much, but it was only the first entry. It looks like there's about four more in here, most of which are dated before the time you first left.

Shannon nodded her head in reply, but did not comment on Rouge's last note. "Bring up the next entry," she stated.

Rouge nodded, quickly pressed a few keys. The next entry popped up on-screen and Shannon began reading. "I've got it! Sonic's speed comes from his form. However, if I could change his form, I may be able to yet beat him. I still need some more time to work it out, but if I can create a formula to change Sonic's form into that of another, I should be able to stop him dead in his tracks. The only problem would be applying the formula, but if I can catch him off-guard, then it's my chance to strike. Now to get to work…"

Rouge shook her head. "There's still not much, here. It's detailing how he got the ideas in the first place, but it doesn't detail how to reverse the process. Well, the only way we'll be able to do that is to keep reading..."

The next entry came on-screen and Shannon quickly got to it. "Aha, now I know what to do! I've studied the DNA frequency Metal Sonic copied from Sonic, and also my own human DNA, and have been able to determine the differences between them. Though all DNA is unique, there are specific patterns to that of the different races of beings. If, by some way, all of the patterns of one race can be changed to that of another simultaneously, I can transform on into an entirely different race in merely seconds. Now, I just need to put my plan into motion…"

Rouge laid back a bit in her seat, staring blankly. She just sat there, thinking, until finally her thoughts were interrupted. "So… that's how this whole thing works out?" Shannon asked, walking forward until she stood next to Rouge.

The elder one finally snapped out of her state. She shook her head. "Uh, yes, of course…" Rouge proclaimed. "I'm just… surprised that such a thing is actually possible…"

Shannon nodded her head in reply. "Well, we already know that it _is_ possible," she proclaimed.

Rouge nodded, as well. "Yes, of course. This latest entry details some of the workings, but this is before he actually got it to work, and before he even tested it. We're definitely getting closer, though. Something should be coming up fairly soon."

Once again, Shannon nodded her head, knowing that what Rouge said was correct. "Bring up the next entry," Shannon proclaimed.

Pressing a few keys, Rouge switched Entry 3 with Entry 4, and then Shannon immediately began reading. "Alas, my prototype has been completed! The heat given off by the volcano is plenty enough to run my machinery to increase the productivity of my robots. Now, I've created a chamber that will automatically activate the transformation. Of course, though, as I do not have a proper test subject at this time, I do not know if it has actually been perfected, yet. I shall instead try to develop on a more portable form in order to work it more efficiently."

"Here we go," Rouge proclaimed. "This shows us something, but it doesn't detail everything. It's obvious, though, that he did manage to get a portable version of it, as he's already used it."

Shannon nodded. "We're almost there," she proclaimed. "Go on and bring up the final entry."

Rouge nodded in reply. Pressing a few keys, she quickly brought up the final entry. "At last, I can now say that my work is done! After a recent development, I was able to fully show that at least two versions of the formula work perfectly. Admittedly, it was completely accidentally, as instead of attacking with a normal energy beam, I actually unleashed a beam created to apply the formula by direct contact. The subject, being none other than another one of those dratted hedgehogs, was transformed from his normal form into not only that of a human being, but also that of a female; completely opposite from his normal self. With this new knowledge, I can complete the final tests and put the plan into motion. If my theory is correct, then I should even be able to make myself more powerful, but I can't jump that far yet—I still need some more time to work things out. I shall not add any new entries here until I have achieved that goal."

Rouge closed her eyes and nodded her head. Now, it was quite clear exactly what was going on. "So, this is what he's planning. Eggman hid away in the volcano to avoid suspicions, and used the heat given off by the lava to work his foundry without having to create the high temperature machines separately. Here, he was able to concept his formula, and plans on turning the entire populace of the planet into humans. Of course, half the planet is already human, but many others are also anthros. By changing everyone into humans, then…"

"Eggman can take over the world that much easier," Shannon interrupted, "because the advantages the anthros had in their bodies were stripped from them."

"Precisely!" a voice proclaimed, boldly.

Rouge immediately jumped to her feet and backed away, startled. Shannon also backed away, seeing the same thing that Rouge had seen.

All three monitors above now suddenly showed the face of the man they last wished to see. His large, brown moustache was easily recognizable, and his eyes were covered with glasses a faint blue color, transparent enough that his eyes could see through them, but opaque enough that no one else could see his eyes. His head was completely bald. He also had a pair of goggles sitting on the top of his head, and he wore his typical red jacket.

"Eggman!" the two of them cried out, together.

"Ohohoho, such a warm welcome!" Eggman laughed out, sadistically. "So, you think you've figured it out, 'eh?" he asked.

The two female humans sneered, but said nothing. Eggman continued. "Well, it seems that you have not yet learned the full potential that this new secret may unravel. As you now know, Shannon, humans are unable to wield the mysterious powers of Chaos Control, but anthros can; especially hedgehogs—which includes echidnas, a now nearly extinct subspecies of hedgehog."

Shannon stepped forward, her eyes flashing with anger. "That may be, but what does it have to do with us? How does all this tie together?"

Eggman snickered, a sly grin crossing his face. "Why, do you not know? It has been in front of your face the entire time."

Now Rouge stepped forward from her position, getting an idea. "Wait a second… In that final entry, Eggman had mentioned something about becoming more powerful…"

Eggman nodded his head. "Why, of course. It is in one's blood and DNA where the chaotic energies flow freely. Humans are less in-tune with the powers of Chaos, but the blood of the anthros is more compatible, while hedgehogs and echidnas are far more powerful than that of others…"

Shannon nodded her head, finally realizing the full truth. "You wish to change yourself into a hedgehog so that you can wield the powers of Chaos Control."

A sly grin crossed the doctor's face once again. "Ah, so the dark one gets it. Yes, indeed. I plan to strip the world of its power, just as I have done to you, and then, I shall also make myself even more powerful! Once everything is in place, the world shall rest in the palm of my hand."

"You're insane," Rouge retorted.

Shannon had turned her head to the ground. Finally, she curled her hand into a fist and quickly turned back to face Eggman. "You'll never get away with this!"

Eggman laughed, sadistically. "Ohohoho, and you are going to stop me?" he proclaimed. "You shall see your bitter undoing…"

The doctor made a motion with his hands, but from this view, Shannon and Rouge could not see what he was doing. Suddenly, though, a noise came from behind. The two spun around just in time to see a hump of metal fly in their direction. They quickly ducked to the side as the tall glass monitor shattered to pieces, its remains falling down through the metal grating below and into the boiling molten rock.

Shannon quickly jumped back to her feet and ran up to the control console. Instead of messing with it, though, she simply glanced passed and looked down below. The object could be seen at the edge of the grating, on the far end. She didn't have to look twice before realizing exactly what it was.

"Omega!" she cried out.

Hearing that name, Rouge quickly jumped back onto her feet and regained her balance. She began to step forward, but then she heard something from behind. Turning around, Rouge saw a blue object come flying through. Wait a second…

Rouge quickly spun around. "Shannon, look out!"

Shannon turned around just in time to see the deep red eyes of Metal Sonic. He grabbed onto her, gripping his talons tightly around her shoulders, and then jumped through the glass opening. Rouge rushed up to the shattered screen, calling out. "Shannon!" she yelled.

The former hedgehog felt herself slam down onto hot metal. Intense heat poured in from all around. She could barely breathe, but still managed to keep up. However, in this heat, she knew that she would be unable to last long.

Metal Sonic slammed his fist into Shannon's shoulder, creating a dark bruise. The girl cried out in pain. The robot picked her up by her shoulders again and slammed his head into hers, knocking her back down. The force of the blow caused her to roll along the grate slightly. This time, though, she remained conscious. However, it still didn't quench the pain. Her head throbbed and her body ached. She reached up and felt a slight bump form on her forehead.

Shannon tried to push herself up, but was only able to make it back onto her knees. The robot charged again, swiping his talon across her back. She cried out in agony as the heat from the molten rock below sent searing waves of pain throughout her body. She felt trickles of blood down her back. The wound was not deep, but it caused pain… Oh so much pain…

Despite this, though, Metal Sonic was not ready to quit just yet. He had longed for this day to come. Oh, to find the black hedgehog in such a state… It pleased him, for he knew that it also pleased his master. Time seemed to slow to a crawl. The final blow… Metal Sonic raised his left arm, intending on digging right into her heart…

In the blink of an eye, the robot was quickly tackled down to the ground. A blue blur could be seen, but nothing more. Metal Sonic jumped to his feet, glancing around. His attacker ran around him in a complete circle, but the robot couldn't keep up with his movements. He wasn't too fazed, though. **"You are delaying the inevitable,"** he proclaimed.

The figure grinned, slyly. "I'll take my chances," he proclaimed.

Metal Sonic eyed the trail of blue. He kept a careful watch on the hedgehog, staring ahead. The hedgehog just kept on running, though. It seemed that he was trying to delay the robot long enough to along the girl to escape.

Shannon watched from afar. She slowly moved in a backward motion, but eyed the scene, not wanting to let her guard down for a second. Her current thought was just how Sonic had found them in the first place. Whatever the case, despite her animosity toward the hedgehog, she was grateful that he had saved her life.

Sonic kept his motion, and even increased his speed further. The beginnings of a spinning vortex started to come out. Metal Sonic stood his ground as the air around him increased its speed and motion. Instead, he chose to wait… His moment would come…

Rouge quickly ran down to Shannon, pulling her up off of the ground. Rouge went on to explain to Shannon what she had found out. Shannon turned around, seeing the object that Rouge mentioned. She turned back to face Rouge, but then suddenly, she caught view of something out of the corner of her eye.

Metal Sonic quickly reached out his hand and everything stopped. The air slowed back down to its regular pace. Everything was calm. However, everything was not good. The robot's talon was tightly grasped around Sonic's neck.

Shannon gasped out in horror, watching the blue hedgehog struggle to get free. Sonic's metal doppelganger just would not let go. Sonic gasped and wheezed, but was unable to get free. Metal Sonic began to try and clutch his fist tighter, as well. Shannon couldn't bear to watch, so she turned her back to it all. Then, though, a thought came to mind.

"Sonic!" a voice called out, from above.

Metal Sonic let go and turned his head up. Sonic himself rubbed his neck, but also turned back to see who had called out. Of course, it was none other than Miles Prower, but better known by his nickname, Tails. The young fox quickly landed on the metal grating, as well, rushing up to Sonic, whom had just regained his footing.

"**Hmmhmmhmm… Pitiful mortals,"** the robot proclaimed, boldly, approaching them. **"I shall enjoy watching you die by my hands…"**

Rouge gasped out and covered her eyes, not wanting to look. Sonic quickly jumped in front of Tails, protectively, willing to be the first to go. Metal Sonic was to powerful for even him to defeat, but if he could just delay them long enough, then…

"Chaos Spear!" a female voice cried out.

Metal Sonic quickly spun around just in time to see a barrage of yellow energy bolts fly straight toward him. **"What's this?!"** he demanded.

The bolts of energy came through, one after another, in endless procession. Metal Sonic felt the energy pass straight through his body. Hundred of bolts of energy came and went. The robot swayed this way and that, pushed backwards slight with each additional blast. At last, the wielder of this power stepped forth… It was a female hedgehog, bearing black fur and red streaks, just like that of Shadow, but clearly unique in its own way. She wore the tattered remains of her formerly clothing, having been ruined by the robot's onslaught. Now, though, she was the one in charge.

She snickered, slyly. "This is the end for you!"

Charging up another energy blast, Shannon quickly threw her hands forward and called out a new name. "Chaos Inferno!" she yelled.

A blast of energy, seemingly no different from a typical laser beam, outstretched from her hands, blasting the robot away. He slammed into the far wall and slid down into the lava below, melting as the intense heat overtook him. Metal Sonic could always be rebuilt, but this time, he would need to be rebuilt entirely from scratch. Shannon was pissed.

Sonic chuckled, slyly. "Alright, Shadow!"

Shannon turned around and glared at him. "I've told everyone else, and now I'm telling you—until I ever get fully back to normal, _if_ I ever get back to normal, which I could really care less if I do, my name is Shannon. Understand that? _Sh-an-non_…"

Sonic laughed and waved his hand. "Oh yeah, the Shadow—er, _Shannon_… The Shannon we know and love… is officially back."

Shannon couldn't help but force a half-smile herself. It was a little funny… but then she immediately straightened out. "Metal Sonic is gone, but whatever happened to the doctor?"

A shadow appeared on the ground. Shannon quickly darted forward as a large robot dropped from above. It had short but stubby legs, with a relatively large body. Its arms were large around and very thick. The robot was mostly a brownish color without much else to it. The head was set on top of the large body with a single "eye." Inside this "eye" sat none other than Dr. Eggman.

"Ohohoho, my dear, it seems that you have spoken too soon!" Eggman proclaimed. "Behold, my latest creation—the Egg Gigas!"

As Eggman's voice echoed throughout the room, an army of robots rushed down onto the platform. Sonic and Tails looked around as the machines poured in, complete surrounding them. Shannon stood in front, surveying the scene. Rouge, having apparently regained her original form, now, also came down from above; landing next to Shannon. "So, what'd I miss?"

Shannon shook her head. "Oh, nothing, really; the only thing that happened is Metal Sonic's destruction and the doctor coming in with his new Egg Gigas along with a bunch of robots that are all threatening to kill us."

Rouge nodded in reply. "You're right, nothing much," she stated, glancing around at the army of robots that covered every inch of the metal grating.

Shannon snickered, slyly. "It's show time."

* * *

Author's Note(s): Mmm, a nice long one. I knew it would be. So, yeah, there you have it, Eggman's plot. Took me a while, 'eh? Well, there's only two chapters left. The next one shouldn't take too long, hopefully. Also, once again, big thanks to my sweet Hannah for helping get me motivated to finish this up.

It didn't win anything at the Sonic Site Awards, and in fact, DoaAM made fourth place (though it was actually only down by one vote), but regardless, I still have to finish this up. Some parts early on I didn't care much for, but regardless, I think it turned out quite well.


	21. Hard Boiled Egg

**Dreams of an Absent Mind**

_**Part 4: Remembrance**_

_**Chapter 21 – Hard-Boiled Egg**_

The Egg Gigas stood back as the lines of robots upon fire upon the small group. The four of them quickly jumped aside, dodging the incoming fire. Streams of bullets and missiles clashed upon each other, and some even went further on to attack their own.

Shannon appeared out of a Chaos Control warp a short distance away, landing on the grating below. Looking up, she faced a number of Eggman's mechs. Strangely, some of these even consisted of the older series of Egg Pawns. Flipping backwards through the air, she quickly shot out a barrage of Chaos Spear bolts which sliced through the machines, creating a series of explosions that dotted the nearby vicinity.

Rouge on the other hand had jumped into the air and soared off. Flying ahead at a fast pace, she quickly dived down, feet first, and spun through the air, drilling straight into a line of Eggman robots. They exploded upon impact, mechanical parts flying about.

Tails also had taken to the air, spinning his pair of tails behind him to lift him up like a helicopter. Removing a few objects from his pocket, the young genius quickly tossed them down. The small black balls fell through the air and landed onto the metal grating. They just stood for a few seconds and the robots took no notice. In a split second's worth of time, the balls suddenly exploded, engulfing nearby robots in their wake.

Sonic dashed along, faster than one could blink an eye. He raced onward, dashed through lines of machines that fell before his powerful spikes. He curled into a ball and shot forward, taking down mech after mech. Sliding to a stop near the edge of the grating, he quickly spun around and to survey the scene.

The army of robots had dissipated fairly quickly. With all four of them working together, most of the robots had already been destroyed. However, more began to come in through the side passages. If those could be blocked off, then…

"Hmm…" Sonic proclaimed.

Suddenly, Shannon appeared a few feet in front of him and shot down some more incoming machines. This gave Sonic an idea.

"Yo Shannon!" the blue hedgehog yelled out. Shannon turned back to face him. "We need to shut down those access tunnels in order to stop the robots from coming in," he called out.

Shannon looked around and saw what Sonic was referring to—each side of the chamber had an access panel like the one Rouge first accessed, and behind both of them, there was a passageway leading deeper into the base. Clearly, all the robots had come through these tunnels.

She turned back to Sonic and nodded. "Let's do it," she stated.

As his minions had decreased in number, Eggman became more active himself in his new battle mech. Tails and Rouge ducked about to avoid being crushed by the large hammer swung around by the Egg Gigas. Eggman then glanced around and saw the incoming swarms of robots. He laughed out, sadistically. "Ahahaha… You see… You… can not… win! I shall destroy you all and with it all hope left for this world…"

Rouge glanced about, seeing what the doctor also had seen. She gritted her teeth. Things didn't look good. However, then out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shannon high above in an outlook over the arena. Shannon raised her thumb and nodded. Rouge smiled and then turned to Tails, nodding her head. "All out," she whispered.

Tails didn't see what she had seen, but he figured that it must've been something worthwhile. He nodded in reply, and immediately after, he stood his ground as he turned back to face Eggman. "Hey, look, it's a giant talking egg!" he called out, mockingly.

Eggman's eyes turned from the recruits and onto the tiny little creature standing down below. "What's this?!" he called out, demanding. "Idiot! Perhaps I should teach you a lesson…"

The giant's right arm slammed down onto the place where the fox stood, but Tails was too swift for that. He turned to follow him, but then another voice called out.

"Hey, eggy, come over here and give me some love…"

The Gigas turned around and Eggman saw Rouge poses on the stairs. She spun a bit, then jumped down and dashed ahead. Eggman pressed a button and a beam erupted from a red jewel on the robot's forehead. The laser surprised the batgirl, whom quickly dashed to the side. However, it followed her.

She ran around the colossal giant, and then took to the air. However, a quick swing of the robot's left fist caught her off guard, and Rouge was sent flying. She lifted into the air a bit, and then fell back down, unable to regain her balance. Glancing below, she saw the lava pit nearing her.

Rouge closed her eyes, but then felt a pair of hands grab hers. Looking up, she saw Tails struggling to keep her from falling. Rouge opened up her wings and motioned up to the fox, basically telling him "You can let go, now." He realized this and let her arms drop. The bat fell down a bit, but then she caught herself with her wings. Giving Tails a thumbs-up, she quickly dived back down toward the center platform once again.

Shannon stood from a rocky outlook above the battlefield below. Rouge began to sweep down and tackle the Egg Gigas, and Tails came down to try and help out as well using a few of his gadgets. Sonic, on the other hand, fought off the lines of robots coming in front the front of the chamber. He was whom she kept her eyes on most of all. The blue hedgehog managed to stop the robots from entering on that side, but more kept coming from the opposite way. Regardless, it was the best they could do for now.

Sonic swung a kick around and knocked a robot down a flight of stairs that led to the platform below, but as the stairway came to an abrupt halt and switched direction, the robot passed beneath the railing and into the molten rock below. Sonic jumped into the air and spun forward quickly, dashing through another couple of robots that made their way in.

Flipping backwards through the air, he landed a ways away from the entrance. No machines were currently in there at the time, but he could here the noises of them coming down in. He looked straight up and raised his thumb high, signaling to Shannon above.

Shannon nodded her head in reply. She quickly charged up some chaotic energy between her fingers for a few seconds. Her hands glowed with a red aura. Feeling the power, she quickly unleashed it, her body rising into the air slightly as the air rippled around her with a magnificent flow. "Chaos Blast!" she cried out.

An enormous explosion rocked the side of the cave walls above. A few boulders broke off the side of the cliff and collapsed down, sealing away the entryway that the robots had been coming through, and even crushing some that had began to come out. Eggman suddenly turned around with a great surprise. "What's this?!"

With half of the problem now gone, both Sonic and Shannon quickly joined up with Tails and Rouge in the center. Sonic dashed along, creating a large turbulence around Eggman as he ran around and around and around, faster and faster and faster. Tails then came in from behind while Eggman was distracted and planted a couple of bombs. Two explosions alerted Eggman of the fox's presence, but he could do nothing about it.

With a section of the paneling weakened, Rouge flew around to the back and sent a series of kicked directly into the location where Tails had planted his bombs. The panel bent and cracked. Backing away a bit, Rouge used all her might to push herself forward at full force, sending a mighty kicked into the weakened piece. At last, it collapsed in, revealing the power generator at the center. She darted forward and sliced her foot across, cutting into it. Rouge quickly flew away as the generator exploded behind her.

Eggman frantically moved about his controls, pressing button after button; lever after lever. However, nothing seemed to work. The machine went out of control. "What?! N…No! This can't be!" he cried out.

Sonic stopped his movement and the turbulence at last dissipated. Shannon stepped forward, staring straight at Eggman. "Oh, it is, doctor," she proclaimed.

The female hedgehog charged a red ball of energy in each hand. Eggman looked up at her, greatly disturbed. Shannon paid no mind to it, though. "This is for all that you have done, all that you were going to do… It ends now!"

"Impossible!" the doctor called out.

Shannon went on to push the two balls of energy together. "Chaos…" Afterwards, she threw the attack forward and it converted into a huge blast of energy, just like the one used on Metal Sonic before. "Inferno!" she finished.

Much of the lower parts of the Egg Gigas were vaporized from the energy. Eggman quickly ejected himself, popping up in his Eggmobile from an opening in the top of the Gigas' head. "I won't forget this!" he proclaimed.

The Gigas itself, on the other hand, didn't fair to well. Unlike Metal Sonic, whom was a lot smaller, the Gigas didn't get pushed back nearly as much. However, it still was pushed back far enough that it lay against the edge of the platform… well, at least, what was left of it. It was so off-balance from the damage taken, though, that it swayed a bit, until it finally collapsed back down into the lava below.

With Eggman gone, all the remaining machines in the near vicinity deactivated, and even the ones that had been still coming in through the other entrance. Sonic chuckled, slyly. "All right!" he called out.

Shannon stared blankly, standing there. They had won, yes, but she wasn't thinking about that right now. She just felt… so weak…

Collapsing onto her knees, Shannon immediately raised her hand up to her forehead, attempting to concentrate. Rouge quickly rushed over upon seeing the fall and then kneeled down, herself. "Hey, you okay…?" she asked.

Shannon shook her head in reply. "I… I'm fine…" she stated.

Sonic walked over, swaying like a drunken fool. "Hey, so I see that little machine, there, worked out quite well," he commented, pointing at the small chamber sitting at the end of the platform, opposite to the side where Metal Sonic and the Egg Gigas had both fallen and also between the stairs leading up to the higher platforms.

Rouge pushed herself to her feet, staring at the hedgehog, awkwardly. "How'd you find us in the first place?" she demanded.

The blue hedgehog held his hand up to her and turned away, slightly. "Hey, don't get snippy with me," he commented.

Tails, whom had immediately begun working on repairing Omega; whom had remained surprisingly untouched, decided to say something, now, as well. "'Eh, we tapped into G.U.N.'s communications because Sonic had mentioned something about a surprising thing he had found out. We caught a transmission between G.U.N. HQ and Omega here, and simply used the location given to give you guys a hand."

"And we got here in the knick of time, too," Sonic proclaimed. "Why, if it wasn't for me—"

"We'd be much better off," Shannon proclaimed.

Sonic slammed his foot into the ground. "Hey, I saved your butt back there!"

Shannon pushed herself back onto her two feet. "And you almost got us killed in the past, too."

The hedgehog just shrugged his shoulders and began to walk away, but quickly spun around and stepped forward, pointing his finger directly at Shannon. "Oh please, you need my help and you know it!"

Shannon spun around, herself, slightly irritated. "Yeah, right… We'd be so much better WITHOUT you," she proclaimed, boldly.

Sonic snarled. "Oh come on!" he proclaimed.

Fed up, the hedgehog began to walk away, but then quickly turned around and swung a punch forward. Then, though, Shannon opened her eyes wide and placed her hands behind her back, staring forward, rather innocently. "You wouldn't hurt a girl, would you…?" she asked in a sly tone of voice.

Sonic open his own eyes wide. "Uh, er… I…" he dropped his arms and shrugged his shoulders, turning away. "Ah, geez, you win… THIS time…"

Shannon giggled slightly. Rouge stepped forward and clapped her hands. "Bravo, nice performance," she proclaimed.

Tails himself even began to laugh a bit. Shannon, on the other hand, did not. Instead, she just groaned and slapped her hand across her face. "Oh geez… I can't believe I just did that…"

Sonic turned back around. "Well, it was cute, I'll give you that much."

Shannon shook her head. "That's just it! I…"

She had begun to speak, but then suddenly, she stopped. A slight tremor rocked the area. Soon, though, everything shook tremendously. Rocks and boulders collapsed from the rock walls above. They fell onto the platform, and into the lava, and even onto the higher platforms. Everyone looked around, trying to figure out what was going on. However, only one word came. "Eggman!" Sonic called out.

Rouge nodded. "It has to be him. He must've set up some sort of self-destruct sequence."

Tails arrived by the rest of them, but was greatly flustered. "Uh, guys, is it just me, or is the lava rising…"

The four of them turned their heads down and saw that, in truth, the lava really WAS rising. It kept getting closer and closer. A beam of fire suddenly shot up between Sonic and Shannon. Others sprayed out elsewhere, as well.

Shannon nodded. "We have to get out of here!" she called out.

Sonic shook his head. "No shit, Sherlock," he proclaimed, slightly irritated.

"Sonic!" Tails called out.

The hedgehog shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, it was only a little one!"

Rouge quickly jumped in, spreading her arms out. "Stop it, guys. Let's just try and get out of here before this whole place collapses on top of us!"

Sonic nodded his head. "Well, the front entrance has been blocked off," he proclaimed, pointing toward the entrance where Shannon and Rouge first came in, "so we should probably go…"

As his eyes locked on to the entryway, a pile of boulders fell in front of the passage, sealing it off. Rouge raised her eyebrows and turned away. "Well, that's not going to work," she proclaimed.

Tails shook his head. "But… can't we just remove the boulders?"

"By the time we did that," Shannon proclaimed, "we would have already been buried ten feet in lava."

Rouge placed her index finger and thumb together and set it up against her chin. "Hmm… what if we used Chaos Control?" she asked.

Shannon nodded. "That could work, but I couldn't possibly take all of us out of here at once.

The bat shook her head. "No, of course not—it would take more energy. Why does it have to be only you, though…?"

As she finished the last of her words, all eyes immediately turned to Sonic. The blue hedgehog glanced around and backed away. "Hey, uh… guys… I don't like the looks you're giving me…"

"Well," Rouge proclaimed, "you are the only other here that can manipulate the powers of Chaos. Surely if you two worked together, we'll be safe and sound in no time flat."

Sonic groaned. "Ah, geez, you mean I have to work with him—er, uh… 'her'…?"

Rouge nodded.

Sonic shook his head, but then finally gave in. "Oh all right," he proclaimed. Immediately after, though, his eyes stared directly at Shannon. "But only because I really don't want either myself or Tails to die such a terrible death! You will say NOTHING, understand…?"

Shannon nodded in reply. "Of course, but just so long as you say nothing about what happened to me, or what I did earlier. I'll be having nightmares for weeks."

Sonic chuckled. "Y'know, though, you are surprisingly cu—"

Upon seeing the death glare given off by the so-called "Ultimate Life Form," Sonic immediately reconsidered what he was about to say.

All four of them retreated up to the higher level, and also took Omega with them. The lava was rapidly increasing and had already overcome the grating, below, as well as Eggman's transformation machine, or whatever he called it.

Now, Tails and Rouge stood on either side of Omega, with Sonic and Shannon standing between Tails and Rouge on either side, as well. The two closed their eyes and clasped both of their own hands together, and each of them charged a ball of energy. "Chaos…" they began. Immediately afterwards, they opened their eyes and raised their hands into the air. "Control!"

A blue ball of energy came down and surrounded the four of them. As the lava reached them, the four of them, as well as Omega, all disappeared into thin air. Soon, at a distance, a group of sightseers down in the valley heard a tremendous boom, like an explosion. Finding a better view, in the far distance, they saw Mount Vernon erupting before their eyes. This would make for a great picture.

* * *

Author's Note(s): Wait a second, the next chapter DIDN'T take a month to complete...? Amazing! Currently, there's only ONE chapter left, and that is the Epilogue. That should be the easiest part to do. Took me forever to finish it off, 'eh? Well, this fic has had it's ups and downs, but I really enjoyed writing and plotting it for the most part, and I especially enjoyed this chapter. I thought the ending was written quite well. However, the Epilogue holds even more surprises, one of which I haven't even told my girlfriend...The final chapter should hopefully be done by Monday. Stay tuned. 


	22. Epilogue

**Dreams of an Absent Mind**

_**Chapter 22 - Epilogue**_

"There, that should do it," a voice proclaimed. "Okay, you can get up now."

Shadow the Hedgehog opened his eyes and sat up, shaking his head in disarray. Something didn't feel right… He placed his right hand up against his forward, but then quickly shook everything away. He then looked up to such a strange sight.

Glancing around the room, he saw many familiar faces. Tails, the young fox, stood next to the bed. Sonic stood next to him, and to Sonic's right, there was Amy Rose. Directly in front of him, just past the foot board, stood Vector the Crocodile, who gave a thumbs-up, while Espio was just to his right and around the side, with Charmy hovering at his right.

"We were really worried about you!"

Turning directly to his left, he saw such a strange thing. It was Cream the Rabbit. She had grabbed his hand and jumped up and down as she said the words.

Shadow glanced around. "All this… for me?" he asked, slightly surprised.

Sonic nodded. "Hey, we're your friends, Shadow! Get used to it…"

"Yeah!" Amy proclaimed.

"It was sad to hear that you had died," Vector stated, "but I'm glad that you were alive, after all."

Espio nodded, as well, but didn't really say much. "Mmhmm" was all that came out of his mouth.

Now it was Charmy's turn. "We're behind ya' all the way!"

Tails nodded his head. "Alright, guys, but I think Shadow has had enough, for now. It'll take a little while for the effects to wear off," he stated.

Everyone nodded and then immediately left, including Sonic, whom gave a quick thumbs-up on his way out. As the door shut, Shadow turned to face Tails. "So… what happened?" he asked.

The fox reared his head back, as if in deep thought. "Well, after we escaped from the base, you had collapsed from exhaustion. We took you back here and alerted everyone else. After that, I worked on a formula to reverse the process, and managed to transform a sample of my own blood. Then I got ready to apply it, but just to make sure you didn't wake up in the middle of it, I applied pain relievers and sleeping pills to make sure that you wouldn't wake up for hours. That is when I first applied the formula, and then waited while it took effect."

Shadow pushed himself off the bed and onto his own two feet. Looking about himself, he quickly nodded his head. "Mmm… and it looks like it worked perfectly," he stated. "I really didn't care if the process got reversed, but… thanks, anyway."

Tails chuckled to himself. "Heh… call me Dr. Prower!"

The hedgehog quickly turned his head toward the fox, eying him awkwardly. "I'll just stick with Tails," he stated.

After a short pause, Shadow spoke up, again. "So, what happened to Rouge?" he asked.

Tails raised an eyebrow. "Rouge? Oh, she's fine. I 'forced' her to go home last night because she refused to leave your side, and after that fight, I figured she needed her rest. She'll probably be coming by any minute, now."

Shadow nodded his head. "And Omega? Is he alright?"

Tails nodded, again. "Of course," he stated. "I got him repaired yesterday when we got back and he's currently fully functional. However, he decided to stay outside."

Shadow nodded his head, again. "Good," he said.

Outside the room, Amy walked up past the door where she saw Knuckles standing just outside. "So, what are you doing?" she asked.

The echidna grumbled a bit to himself, but then finally turned to face her and opened his mouth. "Nothing," he stated. "Well, it's certainly none of your business, at least."

Amy chuckled a bit. "What? Irritated that Rouge is more interested in Shadow than in you…?"

Knuckles raised his eyebrow. Pushing himself from his position, he immediately spun to face her. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" he demanded.

Amy giggled a bit. "Oh, please. I could tell it from a mile away. The way you acted yesterday when Rouge was constantly sitting by the bedside, waiting for him to wake up… and now you're sitting here eavesdropping on a private conversation…? You're just jealous that Rouge likes Shadow and not you."

Knuckles gritted his teeth. "Are you KIDDING me?! Oh please, he can HAVE her!" the echidna began to turn around, eyes closed, but still continued… and while Amy began to giggle, again. "Why, if I ever saw that slut again, it would…"

"It would be what, Knuckles?" Rouge asked.

The echidna immediately opened his eyes and saw the last person he wanted to see. His face turned slightly red… slightly MORE red than normal. Knuckles then immediately fell backwards, unconscious. Amy giggled, again, and Rouge just smiled.

The batgirl proceeded to open the door, but almost immediately, it opened from the other side. None other than Shadow the Hedgehog walked out. "Sh… Shadow… you're alright…" she stated, slightly flustered.

He nodded. "Yes… what of it?"

She shook her head. "Uh, nothing… Er, well… We've been asked by the Commander to interview the father of Shannon McKenzie, and perhaps if we could find anything more about her."

Shadow nodded. "Alright, then, let's go."

The two made their way out, much to Sonic's annoyance. He came running out just as they were about to leave. "Aw, hey, come on! The party's just getting' started…"

"I don't do parties," Shadow proclaimed, not turning his head even once.

Sonic chuckled. "Well, the party was kinda thrown for you, though also for another Eggman plot foiled."

This time Shadow did turn around. He shook his head. "No. We defeated Eggman's robot, but the plot hasn't been foiled completely, yet. He still has that formula in his possession. Now we can prepare ourselves better, but we are not done until it is destroyed completely."

The blue hedgehog passed it off. "Well, whatever, I'm partying, anyway." He turned around and started to head back in. "I'll see you folks, later," he proclaimed.

Shadow and Rouge left. In the background, they could here Sonic's voice calling out "Come on, guys, let's party for another job well done!" Shadow just shook his head in dismay.

As they opened the door leading outside, though, a figure came running to them. It was a female echidna, but wearing unusual garments for her normal wear. Apparently she was trying to fit in with this 'strange modern world' as she called it. She took in a heavy breath of air. "Whew… I made it…"

"Tikal, what are you doing here?" Shadow asked.

Tikal shook off her weariness and at last nodded her head in reply. "Uh, sorry about that… Actually, I came here to get Knuckles. Where might I find him?"

Rouge chuckled a little. She stepped to the right, allowing Tikal to get between them. "See for yourself," she stated.

Tikal dropped her mouth in surprise. "Why has he fallen asleep on the floor?" she asked.

The bat decided not to answer that.

"It's clear to me, now, why I appeared that way," Shadow proclaimed as the two walked along the desolate streets of Station Square.

He turned to face Rouge, staring into her eyes, nodding. "Gerald used a part of Maria to create me. The resemblance isn't noticeable in this form, but in that form, it was very noticeable."

Rouge nodded in reply. "Yes, of course, that makes sense, now. Even your voice sounded like Maria's… but there's still something that doesn't fit."

Shadow turned away, beginning to move on ahead. Rouge walked behind, staring at him, awkwardly. "Shadow…?" she asked.

Shadow stopped. He glanced back. "You mean… my resemblance to Shannon?" he asked.

She nodded. "It could just have been a coincidence, but I don't know… something seems fishy about it."

The black hedgehog nodded. "Where's that picture? I want to look at it, again."

Rouge removed a small flat piece of paper from her pocket. It was a color copy of an actual photo of the REAL Shannon McKenzie. She passed it onward, having already seen it. Shadow had seen it, too, but apparently he wanted a closer look. Admittedly, when Shadow gained that form, he did look a lot like Shannon. However, the real Shannon looked older and had lighter hair. Shannon's hair was also more spread out while Shadow's was straight. Lastly, Shannon was also slightly taller, too.

Shadow stared at the picture, not saying a word. No, it didn't make sense… The resemblance was uncanny, but there was no connection. The pieces didn't fit together. There was something missing, something they weren't seeing. _'Just what is up with this whole—'_

"Shadow, look out!"

Shadow turned up just in time to see someone collide into him. He fell back upon the ground, the picture floating gently to the ground. He rubbed his head, but then looked onward. A human girl lay dazed. She sat up and grabbed her forehead. Realizing that this was his fault for not paying attention, Shadow stood up to help her. She turned her head up to look at him, surprised. Shadow opened his eyes wide, backing away in utter horror. "Y… It's you!" he proclaimed, glancing at her, then down at the picture on the ground.

The girl's eyes turned in the direction Shadow was looking. Fear quickly entered into her eyes. She pulled herself up off the ground and ran off. Shadow spun around, reaching his hand out. "W… wait, hey!" Much to his dismay, she did not answer.

Shadow sighed, lowering his head. Then, though, he felt a hand placed on his shoulder. "Hey, uh, you okay?"

The hedgehog leveled his head, turning around to see Rouge behind him. He sighed again. "I… think so…"

Rouge nodded. "I know what you're thinking," she muttered. "It couldn't have been her, though. She's dead, remember? It… it must have been a coincidence. There's no way, it couldn't have been her."

Shadow nodded in reply. He shook the thoughts out of his mind, but couldn't help but turn back. The girl was already gone. He sighed. "Rouge, what was that address, again?" he asked.

The bat raised an eyebrow. She quickly pulled out a small sheet of paper out of her pocket. "Uh, huh… yeah, that would be 7680 West Straight Street."

The black hedgehog nodded again, staring ahead. They were already on Straight Street, so it should be around here, somewhere. Across the street, he saw 7682 West Straight Street. Wait… if that 7682, then 7680 should be…

Shadow quickly spun around. Rouge did the same, apparently having realized the same thing. They stared at each other. Rouge was the first to speak. "Didn't… didn't that girl… come from this place?" she asked.

Shadow nodded in reply. "Yes," he muttered.

"But it's not possible!" Rouge blurted out.

Shadow shook his head. "No, it isn't."

They just stood there, wondering, for a few seconds. However, both Shadow and Rouge realized that it was useless to simply stand there doing nothing. They raced up to the front door. This was Shannon's home. They had come to talk with her father about what had happened in order to learn a little more about the situation. Now things seemed a bit awkward.

Rouge stepped forward and pressed a little button to the left of the door, holding it in for a few seconds before letting it go. She waited… and waited… and waited. Finally, she reached out her hand to knock on the door. However, instantly, the door swung open, startling Rouge greatly.

A grouchy old man in his fifties stood in the doorway. His hair was a mess, his body didn't look to be in very good conditions, and he apparently hadn't slept well in days, as his eyes were red and bloodshot. "Huh, what do you kids want?" the man demanded.

Rouge gulped. "Uh, are you Jackson McKenzie?" she asked.

The man looked away for a second, but then turned back to face her. "You still haven't answered my question, yet."

The bat rolled her eyes. "Well, for one, we're not _kids_…"

"You sure look like kids to me," he retorted.

Rouge sighed. "I'm Rouge the Bat of the government agency the Guardian Units of the Nation, known as GUN, and this is Shadow the Hedgehog…"

"Oh, so now the government's hiring kids to do their dirty work?! I want no part of it!" he proclaimed, shutting the door.

Rouge shook her head, placing her hand up against the door, trying to keep it from closing but not doing a good job of it. "No, no, we're actually not here on government business. Actually, we wanted to talk about your daughter, Shannon."

The man raised an eyebrow. He peeked through a crack in the door, eying Rouge, suspiciously. "What about my daughter…?"

Rouge let off a sigh of relief. _'Now we're getting somewhere…'_ she thought to herself.

Jack McKenzie was a very strange man. Apparently, he kept all kinds of various odds and ends scattered about. These trinkets from around the world seemed very awkward for such a man to collect. As they walked through the small house, though, he began detailing various things. "Ah, are you curious about my collection? Well, it isn't really mine. You see, my wife wanted to see the world, so we traveled all over, and she collected these various things—her 'toys' as she called them."

Shadow nodded. "I had a friend who had always wanted to see the world. She died when she was fourteen years old, though."

Jack lowered his head. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Rouge quickly jumped in, not wishing to further this conversation. "Well, whatever happened to your wife? Did she die?"

Jack shook his head. "Oh no," he stated. "She might as well be dead, though. It was very surprising that she actually was able to live this long, but now the disease is getting to her…"

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Uh… disease?"

Jack nodded, again. "Yes, of course… disease, disease, you know about disease, don't you? My wife… she's had this one disease since birth. When we first met, she was recovering from a severe wound completely unrelated to her disease. She wasn't supposed to survive that, and even if she did, she was only expected to last a few years before the disease got to her. I was an apprentice at the hospital at the time, age seventeen. She was fourteen years old when I first met her."

Curious, Rouge decided to try and pressure for more. "So, what was it…?" she asked.

"What, you expect the world from me?! I thought you came to talk about my daughter!" Jack proclaimed, irritated.

Rouge backed away. Shadow stepped forward, then, and nodded his head. "Yes, of course… We wanted to talk about it. We were curious how she died, what factors were—"

"Wait, she died?!" Jack butted in.

This startled both Shadow and Rouge. "You… you never heard about it?" Rouge asked. "The Chief Investigator at the Station Square Crime Lab said—"

"I told him to say that she was dead to avoid any suspicions!" Jack interrupted. "Shannon is not dead… technically, but she might as well be. Well, not unless she died in the last ten minutes."

That said everything. Shadow and Rouge turned to each other and nodded. So, the girl outside WAS Shannon. What's she doing, though…?

Jack chuckled, slightly. "Heh… I feel a bit undeserving… I haven't been as good as a father as I should've, and now I never will be able to. Actually, I haven't even told her, yet. If you are curious as to how I can have a daughter at my age, it's not that she's the first, but the first that survived. Actually, at first, it seemed as if she didn't even have it at all. We tried a number of times in the past, but it always ended badly. Finally, there was Shannon, and she was able to make it through just fine. However, when we went out on a hiking trip six months ago, her body seemed to buckle up, and she lost consciousness. That's when I realized that she had contracted the disease from her mother, but apparently, it simply remained dormant, or at least, seemed to have little effect, early on, until recently when it showed itself more."

"A hereditary disease," Rouge proclaimed.

Jack nodded. "It is a dreadful thing. I've had to watch this thing destroy the woman I love for the past fifty years… Yes, can you believe it? We've already been married fifty years! You'd think that such a disease could be cured with modern technology, but thus far, it has not."

Shadow shook his head. "I'm sorry…" he stated. "Please, though, there is something I would like to know. What is this disease that she has?"

Rouge shook her head. She ran up to the hedgehog. "Shadow!" she whispered, forcefully. "It's just a coincidence," she stated.

Jack didn't hear what Rouge said, nor did he notice her move at all, though, for he had been turned the other way. "Mmm… have you ever heard of… something called neuro-immunodeficiency syndrome? It's rare nowadays, as modern medicine has been able to prevent it, but it still cannot be cured, so…"

Shadow raised an eyebrow, but Rouge shook her head. "It's not her," she stated.

"Of course it's not!" Jack proclaimed. "She's far too old to have known you."

Rouge nodded. "Yes, but there is still something I'd like to see. I think that we may be able to find something to help, but we'd need some more information about your daughter. Maybe… a family tree of some sort?"

Jack nodded. "Well, I doubt anything you can do would help, but I can definitely get you that. Just hang on a moment…"

The elderly man left the room and into a back bedroom. After searching a bit, he grabbed a small envelope and came out. He then went on to hand the envelope to Rouge. "Well, here you are. She made this in the second grade and kept it ever since. I hope it helps."

Rouge nodded in reply. "Thank you for your help, sir," she stated.

He nodded in reply. "Of course," he proclaimed.

The two then immediately left, closing the door behind them. Rouge shook her head in dismay. "Shadow, she is NOT alive! All those things were just one big coincidence, understand?"

Shadow nodded in his head. "I know, but I just wanted to make sure. This woman he referred to sounded remarkably similar."

Rouge sighed. "Well, I suppose we can check, anyway," she stated, opening up the envelope.

The bat slid a small piece of paper out of the envelope and quickly unfolded it. She began to read through it, all being basic stuff. Suddenly, though, she stopped in her tracks. Shadow looked over, curiously. "Rouge…?" he asked.

"Uh… Shadow…" she stated, turning her eyes to him. "You… you'd better see this…"

Her voice was very tense, and her words were somewhat… stuttered. Something was very, very wrong. Shadow quickly leaned over, reading through. Down at the bottom was written, quite badly, "Shannon McKenzie." Above, on the left, was Jack McKenzie. His family was also further above, too, on the left side. Shannon's mother, on the other hand, was named Maria McKenzie, and her father… Franklin Robotnik. In procession, up one more level, was the name Gerald Robotnik.

The two turned to each other, staring into their eyes. So, that explained why Shadow's human, female form, looked so much like Shannon. Part of Shadow's DNA came from Maria, and Shannon… was Maria's daughter…

* * *

Author's Note(s): Yes, that is THE ending. No, there are NO more chapters. However, I do have intentions for a sequel, but only one. That wouldn't come for a while off, though. So, how'd you like it...? Please, share your thoughts in a review. 


End file.
